Asset Verification Systems and/or Methods

ABSTRACT

A method for acquiring, aggregating and analysing asset data from multiple data sources for asset identification, verification and/or information display purposes, including: acquiring initial asset data for a selected asset from a first data source, the initial asset data including at least one identifier for the asset, and/or an word(s)/image(s) of the asset; utilising the initial asset data and/or the identifier, to retrieve further asset data associated with the asset from two or more further data sources; aggregating and analysing the acquired/retrieved initial and further asset data; and, utilising artificial intelligence or machine learning to vet the acquired/retrieved asset data in order to verify particulars of the asset; wherein the vetted asset data can be used for identification, verification and/or information display purposes related to the asset.

CROSS-REFERENCE

This application claims the benefit of Australian Provisional PatentApplication No.: 2019902532, filed on 17 Jul. 2019, the entire contentsof which is incorporated herein by reference thereto.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates generally to asset verification systemsand/or methods, and relates particularly, though not exclusively, tosystems and/or methods for acquiring and analysing asset data for assetidentification and verification purposes. More particularly, the presentinvention relates to an automated system and/or method for acquiring,aggregating and analysing asset data from multiple sources for assetidentification, verification and/or information display purposes.

It will be convenient to hereinafter describe the invention in relationto an automated system and/or method for acquiring, aggregating andanalysing intangible property asset data, in particular trade mark,brand name, design, company/business name, domain name and/or socialmedia identifier asset data, from multiple sources for variousintangible property asset identification, verification and/orinformation display purposes, however, it should be appreciated that thepresent invention is not limited to that use only. For example, theasset verification systems and/or methods of the present invention couldalso readily be used for other forms of intangible property assets, suchas, e.g., patents, copyright works/material or plant breeders rights, orfor identifying start-ups, influencers and/or bloggers, as well as forany suitable form of tangible property asset(s), such as, for example,vehicles, aircraft, watercraft, bicycles, jewellery and watches, and/orany other suitable form of asset that may require identification,verification and/or authentication for purposes such as research,registration, protection, use, valuation, sale, repair and/orreplacement. A skilled person will appreciate many possible uses andmodifications of the systems and/or methods of the present invention.Accordingly, the present invention as hereinafter described should notbe construed as limited to any one or more of the specific examplesprovided herein, but instead should be construed broadly within thespirit and scope of the invention as defined in the description andclaims that now follow.

BACKGROUND

Any discussion of documents, devices, acts or knowledge in thisspecification is included to explain the context of the invention. Itshould not be taken as an admission that any of the material forms apart of the prior art base or the common general knowledge in therelevant art in Australia, or elsewhere, on or before the priority dateof the disclosure herein.

Unless stated otherwise, throughout the ensuing description, theexpression “asset(s)” is/are intended to refer to any suitable tangibleor intangible item(s) of value that may require identification,verification and/or authentication for purposes, such as, for example,research, registration, protection, use, valuation, sale, repair and/orreplacement. As has already been outlined above, suitable items of valuemay include, but are not limited to: registrable intellectual propertyrights, such as, for example, trade marks (including traditional andnon-traditional trade marks), registered/industrial designs, patents,design patents, plant breeders rights and copyright works/material;non-registrable intellectual property rights, such as, for example,unregistered design rights, circuit layouts, copyright works/materialand trade dress; domain names; company and business/trade names;intangible rights that an individual or entity claims right to by virtueor, for example, prior or continuous use, such as, for example, words,phrases, letters, numbers, sounds, scents, shapes, logos, pictures,images (both still and moving), videos, movies, aspects of packaging,designs, plant variety names, brand names, or a combination of these;social media, Internet or other communications network identifiers,handles or tags, such as, for example, Instagram handles, Twitterhandles and hashtags; watches and jewellery; wine or spirits; works ofart; memorabilia; collectables; weapons; property; and/or, import/exportitems, etc. A skilled person will appreciate these and other suitableitem(s) of value, or combinations, substitutions, variations oralternatives thereof, applicable for use with the system and/or methodof the present invention. Accordingly, the present invention should notbe construed as limited to any one or more of the specific examplesprovided herein. Finally, the definition of the expression hereinbeforedescribed is only provided for assistance in understanding the nature ofthe invention, and more particularly, the preferred embodiments of theinvention as hereinafter described. Such definition, where provided, ismerely an example of what the expression refers to, and hence, is notintended to limit the scope of the invention in any way.

The process of correctly identifying and verifying the authenticity ofan asset for purposes such as research, registration, protection, use,valuation, sale or repair is often laborious and fraught with humanerrors, whether they be inadvertent or fraudulent errors. For example,users may register an Instagram handle or a business name believing theInstagram handle or business name are protected and do not infringe anyother trader's Instagram handle or business name. However, at this firstinstance, users are generally failing to consider if their intendedbrand name may infringe a registered trademark. This unintentionalinfringement of trademark rights can lead to subsequent legal threatsand battles, ultimately resulting in the possibility of a loss of theInstagram handle or the proposed business name. There is currently noconvenient service for assisting start-up companies and influencers todecide and then build their personalised brand with the added protectionthat it does not infringe conflicting trademarks or other relatedintangible property rights.

In Australia, current trademark or brand name/identifier and relatedimportant data is available online from a large number of disparate,non-integrated and sometimes, non-verified data sources. For example, IPAustralia (the Australian Intellectual Property Office), ASIC (the“Australian Securities & Investments Commission”), Domain Name Whoisservice providers, LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook each containnumerous trade mark or brand name/identifier related data including, butnot limited to: trademarks, including ownership information,goods/services and historical information related thereto; company andbusiness names, including ownership and ACN/ABN (“Australian CompanyNumber”/“Australian Business Number”) information; domain names (whichmay sometimes have hidden particulars); social media identifiers, suchas, handles or tags; and, a lot of other business-related information.With that said, whilst IP Australia maintains a database of current andlapsed trademarks and this information is publicly available, searchingof the Trade Marks Office official online database (“ATMOSS”) is alaborious and complicated process. Furthermore, a trademark can beunregistered and therefore not recorded on IP Australia's ATMOSSdatabase, whereas unregistered trademarks still confer trademark rightsto their owner by virtue of prior use and acquired reputation. Anothersource of important related information is the Personal PropertySecurities Register (or “PPSR”), an Australian Government agency, whichmaintains a national database that stores details of security interestsregistered against personal assets, including intellectual propertyrights, and provides that information to the public for a fee. Whilstthese sources may provide specific data that can be readily searched,there is currently no service offering a reliable, robust system thatdelivers a consolidated data output with easy to use single referencefor intangible property asset identification, verification and/orinformation display purposes.

The intellectual property and related intangible asset data availablefrom these types of sites/sources is typical information which consumersand business industry personnel alike all require when, for example:researching a potential new trademark for a business or considering anew brand name or re-branding a business. Typically, a consumer wantingto make an informed decision about a new brand would need to seek outall of this information from the various sources on their own, includingpaying the necessary fees for any reports that are not available forfree. Likewise, whilst intellectual property industry professionalsoften have ready access and search strategies for retrieving theintellectual property data held by agencies such as IP Australia and thePPSR, they generally still need to access one or more other sites orservice providers to ascertain, for example, the claimed goods and/orservices for a trademark, ownership and history of ownership of thetrademark, etc. Regardless of whether it's a consumer, or intellectualproperty industry professional, doing the research, etc., the currentprocess of retrieving the necessary intangible asset data is a manualprocess which involves one or more people manually entering requiredinformation, e.g., a trademark image or a word, etc., into the varioussites or programs in order to retrieve the desired data. As with allmanual data entry processes, input errors can lead to no or incorrectdata being retrieved. This problem can be exacerbated when multiplesources need to be accessed and/or when attempting to obtain and enterunusual trademarks/brand names, such as, for example, peculiar words,and images, into these various sites or programs. Further difficultiesmay be encountered if a trader wishes to search for a non-traditionaltrademark, such as, for example, a sound, scent or an aspect ofpackaging or trade dress.

Even if we put aside the problems associated with manual data entry, andif we consider that all of the necessary intangible property asset datais readily available online from the types of sites and serviceproviders outlined above, there is currently no way to determine whetherthe available data for a particular intangible property asset isactually correct or valid. That is, there is currently no way to readilydifferentiate between correct and incorrect (or fraudulent) data, nor isthere any convenient means of interpreting administrative nuances,filtering our extraneous information, or making “human-like” predictionsabout the validity of the available data or intangible property assetitself.

A need therefore exists for an asset verification system and/or method,one which overcomes or alleviates one or more of the aforesaid problemsassociated with known sources of asset data, and/or procedures forobtaining and reviewing that data, or one which at least provides auseful alternative. More particularly, a need exists for an automatedsystem and/or method for acquiring, aggregating and analysing asset datafrom multiple sources for asset identification, verification and/orinformation display purposes. In one form, it would be convenient toprovide an automated system and/or method for acquiring, aggregating andanalysing intangible property asset data from multiple sources forintangible property asset identification, verification and/orinformation display purposes. It would also be advantageous if such anautomated system and/or method were able to provide a robust, reliableand easy to use single reference for intangible property assetinformation which could readily be used to verify intangible propertyasset authenticity, history and availability for use, etc., with a highdegree of accuracy.

SUMMARY

According to one aspect, the present invention provides a method foracquiring, aggregating and analysing asset data from multiple datasources for asset identification, verification and/or informationdisplay purposes, the method including the steps of: acquiring initialasset data for a selected asset from a first data source, the initialasset data including at least one identifier for the selected asset,and/or one or more word(s) and/or image(s) of the selected asset;utilising the initial asset data and/or the at least one identifier, toretrieve further predetermined asset data associated with the selectedasset from two or more further data sources; aggregating and analysingthe acquired/retrieved initial and further predetermined asset data,whilst also optionally acquiring, aggregating and analysing any furthernecessary asset data associated with the selected asset from the firstand/or two or more further data sources; and, utilising artificialintelligence or machine learning to cross-check or vet theacquired/retrieved asset data in order to verify particulars of theselected asset; wherein the cross-checked or vetted asset data may thenbe used for identification, verification and/or information displaypurposes related to the selected asset.

Preferably, the first data source is a user data source, and wherein thetwo of more further data sources preferably include trusted andnon-trusted data sources.

Preferably, the initial asset data for the selected asset includes atleast the at least one identifier, and wherein the initial asset dataand/or the further necessary asset data preferably includes a pluralityof images of the selected asset if the selected asset includes multipledimensions, aspects or forms, and, wherein if the selected asset is amulti-dimensional object or thing, the plurality of images of theselected asset preferably includes a plurality of images of the selectedasset at differing angles.

In a practical preferred embodiment, the selected asset is preferably aselected intangible property asset, and wherein the at least oneidentifier for the selected intangible property asset preferably is atleast one of: a word; a letter; a phrase; a number; an image (still ormoving); a picture; a logo; a sound; a shape; a two-dimensional shape; athree-dimensional shape; a scent; a movement; a movie/video; a colour; adesign; an aspect of packaging; a trade dress; a brand name; a trademark; a company/business/trade name; a plant variety name; and/or, acombination of any of these aforementioned asset identifiers; and/or, adomain name; a social media, internet or other communications networkidentifier including a handle or a tag; and/or, an intangible propertyasset particular(s).

Preferably, the further predetermined asset data, and/or the furthernecessary asset data, associated with the selected intangible propertyasset includes both trusted and non-trusted intangible property assetdata, obtained from the two or more trusted and non-trusted datasources, and wherein the trusted and non-trusted intangible propertyasset data for the selected intangible property asset preferablyincludes, but is not limited to: government or otherwise officiallyrecorded intangible property asset data; intangible property assetownership data; associated product and/or service intangible propertyasset data; and/or, general intangible property asset data availablefrom general data source providers, including search engine and socialmedia service providers.

Preferably, the step of utilising artificial intelligence or machinelearning to cross-check or vet the acquired/retrieved intangibleproperty asset data includes the use of an artificial intelligencealgorithm or neural network in association, or combination with, atleast object detection technology, in order to verify particulars of theselected intangible property asset.

It is also preferred that the step of utilising artificial intelligenceor machine learning to cross-check or vet the acquired/retrievedintangible property asset data, utilising the artificial intelligencealgorithm or neural network in association, or combination with, the atleast object detection technology, in order to verify particulars of theselected intangible property asset, preferably includes comparing andcontrasting the acquired/retrieved intangible property asset data withthe known reliable/trusted data sources in order to differentiatebetween accurate or false, or fraudulent, intangible property assetdata, and/or authentic or non-authentic intangible property assets,and/or related or non-related particulars, etc., thereof.

Similarly, it is also preferred that the step of utilising artificialintelligence or machine learning to cross-check or vet theacquired/retrieved intangible property asset data, utilising theartificial intelligence algorithm or neural network in association, orcombination with, the at least object detection technology, alsopreferably includes: interpreting any administrative nuances associatedwith the acquired/retrieved intangible property asset data; and/or,filtering out any extraneous information/data contained within theacquired/retrieved intangible property asset data.

Preferably, the asset identification, verification and/or informationdisplay purposes include, but are not limited to: selling or purchasinga selected intangible property asset; exploring or researching aselected intangible property asset, and/or features/specificationsthereof, including whether or not the selected intangible property assetis available for use, registration and/or protection; recording ormodifying a selected intangible property asset security interest;proceeding to register or protect a selected intangible property asset;and/or, proceeding to engage a professional or service provider toassist with further matters associated with a selected intangibleproperty asset.

According to a further aspect, the present invention provides anon-transitory computer readable medium storing a set of instructionsthat, when executed by a machine, cause the machine to execute a methodfor acquiring, aggregating and analysing asset data from multiple datasources for asset identification, verification and/or informationdisplay purposes, the method including the steps of acquiring initialasset data for a selected asset from a first data source, the initialasset data including at least one identifier for the selected asset,and/or one or more word(s) and/or image(s) of the selected asset;utilising the initial asset data and/or the at least one identifier, toretrieve further predetermined asset data associated with the selectedasset from two or more further data sources; aggregating and analysingthe acquired/retrieved initial and further predetermined asset data,whilst also optionally acquiring, aggregating and analysing any furthernecessary asset data associated with the selected asset from the firstand/or two or more further data sources; and, utilising artificialintelligence or machine learning to cross-check or vet theacquired/retrieved asset data in order to verify particulars of theselected asset; wherein the cross-checked or vetted asset data may thenbe used for identification, verification and/or information displaypurposes related to the selected asset.

According to yet a further aspect, the present invention also provides asystem for acquiring, aggregating and analysing asset data from multipledata sources for asset identification, verification and/or informationdisplay purposes, the system including: one or modules or applicationsfor acquiring initial asset data for a selected asset from a first datasource, the initial asset data including at least one identifier for theselected asset, and/or one or more word(s) and/or image(s) of theselected asset; one or more modules of applications for utilising theinitial asset data and/or the at least one identifier, to retrievefurther predetermined asset data associated with the selected asset fromtwo or more further data sources; one or more modules or applicationsfor aggregating and analysing the acquired/retrieved initial and furtherpredetermined asset data, whilst also optionally acquiring, aggregatingand analysing any further necessary asset data associated with theselected asset from the first and/or two or more further data sources;and, one or more artificial intelligence or machine learning modules ofapplications for cross-checking or vetting the acquired/retrieved assetdata in order to verify particulars of the selected asset; wherein thecross-checked or vetted asset data may then be used for identification,verification and/or information display purposes related to the selectedasset.

These and other essential or preferred features of the present inventionwill be apparent from the description that now follows.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In order that the invention may be more clearly understood and put intopractical effect there shall now be described in detail preferred assetverification systems and/or methods made in accordance with theinvention. The ensuing description is given by way of non-limitativeexamples only and is with reference to the accompanying drawings,wherein:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an intangible property asset verificationsystem made in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 2 is a flow diagram illustrating a preferred embodiment of anintangible property asset verification method which is suitable for usewith the preferred intangible property asset verification system shownin FIG. 1;

FIGS. 3a to 3c show exemplary graphical user interfaces (hereinaftersimply referred to as “GUI(s)”) which illustrate, in preferred steps,how intangible property asset input data may be scanned and/or capturedby a user operable device in accordance with the preferred intangibleproperty asset verification system and/or method shown in FIGS. 1 and 2;

FIGS. 4a and 4b show exemplary GUIs which illustrate, in preferredsteps, how a user may access various options or features of thepreferred intangible property asset verification system and/or methodshown in FIGS. 1 and 2;

FIGS. 5a and 5b show exemplary GUIs which illustrate, in preferredsteps, how an intangible property asset may be listed for sale inaccordance with the preferred intangible asset verification systemand/or method shown in FIGS. 1 and 2;

FIGS. 6a to 6e illustrate, in preferred forms, how a user may explore orresearch the features of an intangible property asset report that may beproduced in accordance with the preferred intangible property assetverification system and/or method shown in FIGS. 1 and 2;

FIG. 7 is a block diagram illustrating how an intangible property assetsecurity interest may be recorded or managed in accordance with thepreferred intangible property asset verification system and/or methodshown in FIGS. 1 and 2; and,

FIG. 8 shows an exemplary GUI which illustrates how the preferredintangible property asset verification system and/or method shown inFIGS. 1 and 2 may be used to navigate and display a verification reportproviding details of intangible property asset information and optionsfor performing further steps of the preferred intangible property assetverification system and/or method shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following detailed description of the invention, reference ismade to the drawings in which like reference numerals refer to likeelements throughout, and which are intended to show by way ofillustration specific embodiments in which the invention may bepracticed. It is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilisedand that procedural and/or structural changes may be made withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope of the invention.

Unless specifically stated otherwise as apparent from the followingdiscussion, it is to be appreciated that throughout the description,discussions utilising terms such as “processing”, “computing”,“calculating”, “acquiring”, “transmitting”, “aggregating”, “receiving”,“retrieving”, “identifying”, “determining”, “analysing”, “manipulating”and/or “displaying”, or the like, refer to the action and processes of acomputer system, or similar electronic computing device, thatmanipulates and transforms data represented as physical (electronic)quantities within the computer system's registers and memories intoother data similarly represented as physical quantities within thecomputer system memories or registers or other such information storage,transmission or display devices.

Discussions regarding apparatus for performing the operations of theinvention are provided herein. This apparatus may be speciallyconstructed for the required purposes, or it may comprise a generalpurpose computer selectively activated or reconfigured by a computerprogram stored in the computer. Such a computer program may be stored ina computer readable storage medium, such as, but is not limited to, anytype of disk including floppy disks, optical disks, CD-ROMs, andmagnetic-optical disks, read-only memories (ROMs), random accessmemories (RAMs), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROMs),electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROMs), magneticor optical cards, or any type of media suitable for storing electronicinstructions, and each coupled to a computer system bus.

The software modules, engines or applications, and displays or GUIspresented or discussed herein are not inherently related to anyparticular computer or other apparatus. Various general purpose systemsmay be used with programs in accordance with the teachings herein, or itmay prove convenient to construct more specialised apparatus to performthe required method steps. The required structure for a variety of thesesystems will appear from the description below. In addition, the presentinvention is not described with reference to any particular programminglanguage. It will be appreciated that a variety of programming languagesmay be used to implement the teachings of the invention as describedherein.

A machine-readable medium includes any mechanism for storing ortransmitting information in a form readable by a machine (e.g., acomputer). For example, a machine-readable medium includes read onlymemory (“ROM”); random access memory (“RAM”); magnetic disk storagemedia; optical storage media; flash memory devices; electrical, optical,acoustical or other form of propagated signals (e.g., carrier waves,infrared signals, digital signals, etc.); etc.

In FIG. 1 there is shown a preferred system 10 for acquiring,aggregating and analysing asset data 12 _(n) from multiple data sources14 _(n) for various asset 16 _(n) (such as, for example, an intangibleproperty asset 16 _(n) as shown in FIGS. 3b, 3c, 4a, 5a, 6a to 6e & 8)identification, verification and/or information display purposes. System10 is suitable for use over a communications network 18 _(n), such as,for example, the Internet or web 18 _(n), as shown. It should beunderstood however, that system 10 of the present invention is notlimited to that use only.

In the preferred embodiments shown in the drawings, system 10 isspecifically configured for acquiring, aggregating and analysingintangible property asset data 12 _(n) for various intangible propertyasset 16 _(n) identification, verification and/or information displaypurposes. Examples of suitable intangible property assets 16 _(n) andtheir associated intangible property asset data 12 _(n) include: a word;a letter; a phrase; a number; an image (still or moving); a picture; alogo; a sound; a shape; a two-dimensional shape; a three-dimensionalshape; a scent; a movement; a movie/video; a colour; a design; an aspectof packaging; a trade dress; a brand name; a trade mark; acompany/business/trade name; a plant variety name; and/or, a combinationof any of these aforementioned examples; and/or, a domain name; a socialmedia, internet or other communications network identifier including ahandle or a tag; and/or, any other suitable intangible property asset(s)or particular(s).

In FIG. 1, the preferred intangible property asset 16 _(n) is atrademark or brand name, and the associated intangible property assetidentifying data 12 _(n) may preferably include a Trade Mark No., anABN/ACN and an image/logo, as shown. In the context of this preferredform of intangible property asset 16 _(n)/data 12 _(n), and as is shownin FIG. 1, the multiple data sources 14 _(n) preferably include, but arenot limited to: user 20 _(n) data sources 14 _(n); trusted third-partydata sources 14 _(n), such as, for example, government or otherwiseofficially recorded regulated data sources (e.g. IP Australia, ASIC,domain name Whois service providers, the PPSR or similar serviceprovider(s), etc.); and, non-trusted third-party data sources availablefrom general data source providers, including search engine and socialmedia service providers 14 _(n), such as, for example, Google, Bing,ImageNet (by Stanford and Princeton Universities), Wikipedia, Instagram,Pinterest, Facebook, Twitter, etc. Again, in the context of thispreferred form of intangible property asset 16 _(n)/data 12 _(n), and asis shown throughout the drawings, the various intangible property asset16 _(n) identification, verification and/or information display purposespreferably include, but are not limited to: selling or purchasing anintangible property asset 16 _(n); exploring or researching a selectedintangible property asset 16 _(n), and/or features/specificationsthereof, including whether or not the selected intangible property assetis available for use, registration and/or protection; recording ormodifying a selected intangible property asset 16 _(n) securityinterest; proceeding to register or protect a selected intangibleproperty asset 16 _(n); and/or, proceeding to engage a professional orservice provider to assist with further matters associated with aselected intangible property asset 16 _(n). Although specific intangibleproperty asset 16 _(n) embodiments are shown and described herein, itshould be appreciated that the present invention is not limited to thatuse, or those examples, only.

System 10 includes at least one network server 22 _(n), which includesat least one computing device 24 _(n), which hosts and/or maintains aplurality of tools or applications 26 _(n) (such as, for example,software and/or hardware modules or applications 26 _(n), etc.) anddatabases/storage devices 28 _(n), that together provide a means foracquiring, aggregating and analysing intangible property asset data 12_(n), from the preferred multiple data sources 14 _(n) for the variouspreferred intangible property asset 16 _(n) identification, verificationand/or information display purposes outlined above.

Network server 22 _(n) is configured to receive/transmit data, includingintangible property asset data 12 _(n), from/to the trusted andnon-trusted third-party data sources 14 _(n) and at least one useroperable device 30 _(n), via communications network 18 _(n). The term“user operable device(s) 30 _(n)” refers to any suitable type ofcomputing device or software application, etc., capable of transmitting,receiving, capturing, conveying and/or displaying data (includingintangible property asset data 12 _(n)) as described herein, including,but not limited to, a mobile or cellular phone, a smart phone, an App(e.g. iOS or Android, etc.) for a smart phone, a smart watch or otherwearable electronic device, an augmented reality device (such as, forexample, an augmented reality headset, eyeglasses or contact lenses,etc.), a connected Internet of Things (“IoT”) device; a Personal DigitalAssistant (PDA), and/or any other suitable computing device, as forexample a server, personal, desktop, tablet, or notebook computer.

User operable devices 30 _(n) are each configured to be operated by atleast one user 20 _(n) of system 10. The term “user 20 _(n)” refers toany person in possession of, or stationed at, at least one user operabledevice 30 _(n) who is able to operate the user operable device 30 _(n)in order to transmit/receive data, including intangible property assetdata 12 _(n), and/or display intangible property asset data 12 _(n),intangible property asset(s) 16 _(n) (including features andspecifications thereof, etc.), reports and other necessary information32 _(n) within at least one GUI(s) 34 _(n) installed on the useroperable device 30 _(n). User operable devices 30 _(n) may includevarious types of software and/or hardware module(s) (not shown) requiredfor capturing, transmitting, receiving, analysing, processing, conveyingand/or displaying data, including intangible property asset data 12 _(n)to/from network server 22 _(n), via communications network 18 _(n), inaccordance with system 10 including, but not limited to: at least onesystem 10 specific GUI 34 _(n) application(s) or App(s), which couldsimply be an operating system installed on user operable device 30 _(n)that is capable of actively transmitting, receiving, capturing,conveying and/or displaying data on a screen without the need of aspecific separately installed GUI 34 _(n), etc.; a plurality of tools orapplications (not shown, but which may be, for example, software and/orhardware modules or applications, etc.) that provide a means ofidentifying, capturing, retrieving, analysing and/or processingintangible property asset data 12 _(n); monitor(s) (touch sensitive orotherwise); camera(s) for capturing still or moving intangible propertyasset data 12 _(n), or for creating a system 10 generated augmentedreality environment (not shown), etc.; GUI pointing device(s);keyboard(s); sound capture device(s) (e.g. one or more microphonedevices for capturing a user's 20 _(n) voice commands, or for capturingintangible property asset data 12 _(n), etc.); sound emitting device(s)(e.g. one or more loudspeakers and/or text to speech converters, etc.,for audibly conveying intangible property asset data 12 _(n), reports 32_(n), etc., to a user 20 _(n)); gesture capture device(s) (e.g. one ormore cameras for capturing a user's 20 _(n) gesture commands, etc.);augmented reality device(s) (e.g. glasses, etc.); smart watch(es);and/or, any other suitable data acquisition, transmission, capture,conveying and/or display device(s) (not shown).

Intangible property asset data 12 _(n) may be captured by a useroperable device 30 _(n) directly by way of, e.g., a user 20 _(n)utilising their finger(s), thumb(s), a keyboard, a GUI pointingdevice(s), integrated camera(s), etc., or a voice command, physicalmotion or gesture, etc. Alternatively, intangible property asset data 12_(n) may be captured by way of a user 20 _(n) utilising a user interface(not shown), e.g., a smart watch, augmented reality device, externalcamera(s), etc., connected to the user operable device 30 _(n). Theprocess of capturing intangible property asset data 12 _(n) may also notinvolve any user 20 _(n) directed input at all, but instead could besubmitted to network server 22 _(n), as desired by a user operabledevice 30 _(n) itself, based on algorithms, e.g. predictive algorithms,residing on the user operable device(s) 30 _(n), which may determinethat an intangible property asset 16 _(n) is in need of scanning, etc.,in order to capture intangible property asset data 12 _(n), by way of,for example, analysing a user's 20 _(n) behaviour, their geographicallocation, or by the position of the intangible property asset 16 _(n)relative to the user operable device 30 _(n), etc. Similarly, intangibleproperty asset data 12 _(n) and any other applicable associated data 32_(n) (e.g., application and/or registration numbers, images, etc.) maybe displayed to a user 20 _(n) by way of one or more screens or monitorsof a user operable device 30 _(n) or may be displayed to the user 20_(n) by way of a user interface (not shown), e.g., a smart watch,augmented reality device, etc., connected to the user operable device 30_(n). In yet a further embodiment, some or all of the intangibleproperty asset data 12 _(n) may be displayed to a user 20 _(n) by way ofone or more screens or monitors of a user operable device 30 _(n) (ormay be displayed to the user 20 _(n) by way of a user interface (notshown), e.g. a smart watch, augmented reality device, etc., connected tothe user operable device 30 _(n)), whilst part of the intangibleproperty asset data 12 _(n) may be audibly conveyed to the user 20 _(n)by way of one or more sound emitting device(s) of (or connected to) theuser operable device 30 _(n). For example, images (still or moving) ofan intangible property asset 16 _(n) may be displayed (by way of, forexample, a screen/monitor, or an augmented reality device(s), etc.) to auser 20 _(n) by way of, for example, the GUI 34 _(n) of FIG. 4a , withthe corresponding intangible property asset data 12 _(n), e.g. theintangible property 16 _(n) information, such as brand name, trade mark,or other features, etc., being audibly conveyed to the user 20 _(n)automatically, or upon request, by way of one or more sound emittingdevice(s) of (or connected to) the user operable device 30 _(n) (oraugmented reality device(s), etc.). It will be appreciated that whereuser interfaces (not shown), such as, for example, a smart watch and/oran augmented reality device, are referred to as being interfaces thatmay be connected (wired or wirelessly) to a user operable device 30_(n), such interfaces could themselves be a user operable device 30 _(n)in accordance with the present invention. That is, a device, such as,for example, an augmented reality device (not shown) could be astandalone user operable device 30 _(n), or passive display device,suitable for use in accordance with system 10 of the present invention.

Network server 22 _(n) is configured to communicate with user operabledevices 30 _(n) (and hence, user 20 _(n)) and trusted and non-trustedthird-party data sources 14 _(n) via any suitable communicationsconnection or network 18 _(n) (hereinafter referred to simply as a“network(s) 18 _(n)”). Trusted and non-trusted third-party data sources,or service provider(s) 14 _(n), is/are configured to transmit andreceive data to/from network server 22 _(n), via network(s) 18 _(n).User operable devices 30 _(n) are configured to transmit, receivecapture and/or display data, including intangible property asset data 12_(n), from/to network server 22 _(n), via network(s) 18 _(n). Each useroperable device 30 _(n) and trusted and non-trusted data serviceprovider 141 may communicate with network server 22 _(n) via the same ora different network 18 _(n). Suitable networks 18 _(n) include, but arenot limited to: a Local Area Network (LAN); a Personal Area Network(PAN), as for example an Intranet; a Wide Area Network (WAN), as forexample the Internet; a Virtual Private Network (VPN); a WirelessApplication Protocol (WAP) network, or any other suitabletelecommunication network, such as, for example, a GSM, 3G, 4G, 5G,etc., network; Bluetooth network; and/or any suitable WiFi network(wireless network). Network server 22 _(n), trusted and non-trustedthird-party data sources, or service providers 14 _(n), and/or useroperable device 30 _(n), may include various types of hardware and/orsoftware necessary for communicating with one another via network(s) 18_(n), and/or additional computers, hardware, software, such as, forexample, routers, switches, access points and/or cellular towers, etc.(not shown), each of which would be deemed appropriate by personsskilled in the relevant art.

For security purposes, various levels or security, including hardwareand/or software, such as, for example, application programminginterfaces (or “APIs”, as shown in, for example, FIGS. 1 & 7),firewalls, tokens, two-step authentication (not shown), etc., may beused to prevent the unauthorized access to, for example, network server22 _(n) and/or third-party data sources 14 _(n). Similarly, networkserver 22 _(n) may utilise security (e.g., hardware and/or software—notshown) to validate access by user operable devices 30 _(n), or whenexchanging information between/with third-party data sources 14 _(n). Itis also preferred that network server 22 _(n) performs validationfunctions to ensure the integrity of data transmitted betweenthird-party data sources 14 _(n) and/or user operable devices 30 _(n). Aperson skilled in the relevant art will appreciate such technologies andthe many options available to achieve a desired level of security and/ordata validation, and as such a detailed discussion of same will not beprovided. Accordingly, the present invention should be construed asincluding within its scope any suitable security and/or dataverification technologies as would be deemed appropriate by a personskilled in the relevant art.

Communication and/or data transfer between network server 22 _(n),trusted and non-trusted data sources 14 _(n) and/or user operabledevices 30 _(n), may be achieved utilising any suitable communication,software architectural style, and/or data transfer protocol, such as,for example, FTP, Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP), RepresentationalState Transfer (REST); Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP); ElectronicMail (hereinafter simply referred to as “e-mail”), UnstructuredSupplementary Service Data (USSD), voice, Voice over IP (VoIP), TransferControl Protocol/Internet Protocol (hereinafter simply referred to as“TCP/IP”), Short Message Service (hereinafter simply referred to as“SMS”), Multimedia Message Service (hereinafter simply referred to as“MMS”), any suitable Internet based message service, any combination ofthe preceding protocols and/or technologies, and/or any other suitableprotocol or communication technology that allows delivery of data and/orcommunication/data transfer between network server 22 _(n), third-partydata sources 14 _(n) and/or user operable devices 30 _(n), in accordancewith system 10. Similarly, any suitable data transfer or file format maybe used in accordance with system 10, including (but not limited to):text; a delimited file format, such as, for example, a CSV(Comma-Separated Values) file format; a RESTful web services format; aJavaScript Object Notation (JSON) data transfer format; a PDF (PortableDocument Format) format; and/or, an XML (Extensible Mark-Up Language)file format.

Access to network server 22 _(n) and the transfer of information betweennetwork server 22 _(n), third-party data sources 14 _(n) and/or useroperable devices 30 _(n), may be intermittently provided (for example,upon request), but is preferably provided “live”, i.e. in real-time, oras close to live/real-time as possible.

As already outlined above, system 10 is designed to provide an automatedsystem/process for acquiring, aggregating and analysing intangibleproperty asset data 12 _(n) from multiple data sources 14 _(n) forvarious intangible property asset 16 _(n) identification, verificationand/or information display purposes. To do this, at the core of system10, network server 22 _(n) provides artificial intelligence in the formof one or more artificial intelligence algorithm(s) ormodule(s)/application(s) 26 _(n) (herein after simply referred to as “AImodule(s) 26 _(n)”) which use machine or deep learning in association,or combination with, various other software and/or hardware modules orapplications 26 _(n), including, but not limited to, object detectionmodule(s) 26 _(n) and/or optical character recognition or reader(commonly known as “OCR”) modules 26 _(n), to acquire, aggregate andanalyse intangible property asset data 12 _(n) from the preferredmultiple data sources or service providers 14 _(n), so as to then, forexample, differentiate between correct and incorrect data 12 _(n),differentiate between related and unrelated data 12 _(n), interpretadministration nuances, filter out extraneous information/data 12 _(n)and/or make ‘human like’ predictions about the validity of the data 12_(n), and/or intangible property assets 16 _(n). Put another way, the AImodule(s) 26 _(n), and other module(s) 26 _(n) of system 10, enablenetwork server 22 _(n) to collate intangible property asset data 12 _(n)(and any other necessary related data), compare and contrast that data12 _(n) with predetermined asset data 12 _(n) obtained from reliabledata sources 14 _(n), etc., to differentiate between accurate or false(or fraudulent) data 12 _(n) and/or authentic or non-authentic and/orrelated or un-related intangible property assets 12 _(n) (or words,images, pictures, business names, domain names, etc., thereof). Thus,system 10 can preferably be used, inter alia, to collate authenticatedintangible property asset 16 _(n)/data 12 _(n), using databases 14 _(n)and the various module(s)/application(s) 26 _(n), and as a resultthereof, can provide a user 20 _(n) with a report 32 _(n) (see, forexample, FIGS. 6a to 6e ) outlining whether or not a selected intangibleproperty asset 16 _(n) is available for use, registration and/orprotection. As will be described in further detail hereinafter, theresulting preferred report 32 _(n) can be used to engage an intellectualproperty industry professional or a service provider (such as a TradeMarks Attorney, a graphic designer, a photographer, or a marketingspecialist—not shown) to assist with further matters associated with aselected intangible property asset 16 _(n). Using the preferred report32 _(n), an intellectual property industry professional or a serviceprovider (not shown) may then assist with filing and/or registration ofan intangible property asset 16 _(n)—if it is a registrable intangibleproperty asset 16 _(n), such as, for example, an intellectual propertyright or a domain name, etc.—or may use the preferred report 32 _(n) to,for example: assess the likelihood of an infringement; use it as a basisfor seeking consent to the use of an intangible property asset 16 _(n);and/or, lodge an application for revocation of a trade mark for non-use,etc. Furthermore, the preferred report 32 _(n) could also preferably beused as a basis for licensing and/or franchising opportunities, etc.

In addition, and as will be described in further detail below, by beingan automated streamlined process, system 10 is able to replace currentmanual, time consuming processes, with a new process(es) which is/arefaster, more comprehensive, accurate and less prone to human errors.That is, system 10 is preferably completely, or at least substantially,automated; streamlining the entire process of collating intangibleproperty asset data 12 _(n) (and any associated data/information) frommultiple data sources 14 _(n), whilst eliminating arduous paperwork,multiple databases/sources, manual input errors and lengthy wait times,etc.

As already briefly outlined above, network server 22 _(n) and useroperable device(s) 30 _(n), may each host and/or maintain a plurality ofmodules or applications 26 _(n) (not shown in the context of useroperable devices 30 _(n)) and database(s)/storage device(s) 28 _(n)(again, not shown in the context of user operable devices 30 _(n)) thatenable multiple aspects of system 10 to be provided over network(s) 18_(n). These module(s) or application(s) 26 _(n) and database(s)/storagedevice(s) 28 _(n) may include, but are not limited to: (i) one or moreuser operable device 30 _(n) based module(s) or application(s) (notshown) for capturing, transmitting, receiving, conveying and/ordisplaying intangible property asset data 12 _(n) (and any associateddata, reports, etc. 32 _(n), as described herein), to/from networkserver 22 _(n), via network(s) 18 _(n), wherein the user operable device30 _(n) based module(s)/application(s) (not shown) preferably include(s)at least: an OCR component or application capable of recognising,capturing, converting and/or transmitting intangible property asset 16_(n) alphanumeric (or symbol, etc.) identifier(s)/marker(s)/image(s) 12_(n) (not shown—but which may be, for example, a trade mark, a brandname, a business name, a domain name, a logo, an intellectual propertyright application and/or registration number, ABN/ACN numbers, etc.)—theOCR component/application preferably being operable to capture theintangible property 16 _(n) information/identifier(s)/marker(s)/image(s)12 _(n) either by pointing a camera, etc. (which may be integral withuser operable device 30 _(n), or coupled therewith) at an intangibleproperty asset 16 _(n) in real-time, or by analysing a previouslycaptured image(s) and/or word(s) 12 _(n) (still or moving) of anintangible property asset 16 _(n); an image and/or word(s) 12 _(n)(still or moving) capture component or application capable of capturing,storing and/or transmitting one or more images 12 _(n) of the intangibleproperty asset 16 _(n), and/or component parts thereof—the image capturecomponent/application may simply involve the use of a camera, etc.(which may be integral with user operable device 30 _(n), or coupledtherewith) to take/capture image(s)/word(s) 12 _(n) of an intangibleproperty asset 16 _(n), or may involve a more technical object detectionprocess(es) which recognises words, numbers, images or pictures or acombination of these, etc., of an intangible property asset(s) 16 _(n),if required/desired; and, a GUI 34 _(n) component or application whichacts as an interface for user(s) 20 _(n) to use system 10—the GUI 34_(n) component or application preferably being capable of selectivelyoperating (either automatically or upon request from a user 20 _(n)) theOCR and image capture components or applications, as well as beingcapable of displaying intangible property asset data 12 _(n), intangibleproperty asset(s) 16 _(n) (including features and particulars thereof,etc.), reports and other necessary information 32 _(n) to a user(s) 20_(n) of system 10; (ii) one or more network server 22 _(n) basedmodule(s) or application(s) 26 _(n), and database(s)/storage device(s)28 _(n), for interfacing with user operable device(s) 30 _(n), andtrusted and non-trusted third-party data sources or service providers 14_(n) (which may require the use of APIs as shown in, for example, FIGS.1 & 7), for the purpose of acquiring, aggregating, storing, modifying,indexing, transmitting and/or receiving, etc., intangible property assetdata 12 _(n) (and any other necessary data, reports, etc. 32 _(n)), asrequired, in accordance with the present invention as described herein;(iii) one or more network server 22 _(n) based optical detection and/orOCR module(s) or application(s) 26 _(n) for analysing and recognisingparticulars (including, but not limited to: aword/number/picture/image/logo or a combination of these of anintangible property asset 16 _(n), its features, colours, shades etc.,and/or identifier(s)/marker(s)/image(s) 12 _(n) of an intangibleproperty asset 16 _(n), etc.) of intangible property assets 16 _(n)shown/provided in images/words 12 _(n) (whether they be live, stored,still or moving images/words 12 _(n), etc.) or other forms of intangibleproperty asset data 12 _(n), acquired from user 20 _(n) data sources 14_(n), and trusted and/or non-trusted third-party data sources 14 _(n)(and which data 12 _(n) may have been previously stored indatabase(s)/storage device(s) 28 _(n), of network server 22 _(n), usingthe one or more module(s) of application(s) 26 _(n) described above withreference to (ii)); and/or, (iv) one or more network server 22 _(n)based AI module(s) 26 _(n) which, as already briefly described above,use machine or deep learning methods to analyse and verify intangibleproperty asset data 12 _(n), along with interpreting administrativenuances and filtering out extraneous information/data 12 _(n), etc., tocollectively make ‘human-like’ predictions about the authenticity orvalidity of intangible property asset data 12 _(n), intangible propertyassets 16 _(n) and/or particulars thereof, in accordance with thepresent invention.

Although separate modules, applications or engines (e.g.module(s)/application(s) 26 _(n) and database(s)/storage device(s) 28_(n) described above with reference to (i) to (iv)) have been outlined(with reference to both network server 22 _(n) and user operabledevice(s) 30 _(n)), each for effecting specific preferred aspects (orcombinations thereof) of system 10, it should be appreciated that anynumber of modules/applications/engines/databases/storage devices forperforming any one, or any suitable combination of, aspects of system10, could be provided (wherever required) in accordance with the presentinvention. For example, whilst separate module(s) (iii) & (iv) 26 _(n)have been described above, those module(s) 26 _(n) could be combinedinto a single module 26 _(n) in accordance with the present invention. Aperson skilled in the relevant art will appreciate many suchmodule(s)/application(s)/engine(s) and database(s)/storage device(s)embodiments, modifications, variations and alternatives therefor, and assuch the present invention should not be construed as limited to any ofthe examples provided herein and/or described with reference to thedrawings.

AI module(s) 26 _(n), of network server 22 _(n), of system 10 of thepresent invention, may utilise any suitable machine or deep learningtechniques or algorithms, etc., in order to perform its variousfunctions or processes as described herein. However, it has been foundthat an AI module(s) 26 _(n) which uses a Deep Learning (“DL”) modelcalled ResNet (or “Residual Neural Network”), a deep convolutionalartificial neural network, is particularly well suited for searching andverifying intangible property asset data 12 _(n), etc., in accordancewith system 10 of the present invention. A skilled person willappreciate ResNet and many other machine or deep learning algorithms,etc., which could be used in accordance with the present invention.Accordingly, the present invention should not be construed as limited tothe specific example as provided herein.

In a deep convolutional neural network (herein after simply referred toas “NN”), several unique layers are stacked (or consolidated) and aretrained to develop a model for the problem to be solved—in this caseintangible property asset 16 _(n)/data 12 _(n) verification. The NNlearns several low/mid/high level features at the end of its layers.With Residual learning, instead of trying to learn some features, the NNtries to learn some residual. Residual can be simply understood assubtraction of features learned from input of that layer. ResNet doesthis using shortcut connections (directly connecting input of nth layerto some (n+x)th layer. It has been proven that training this form of NNis easier than training simple deep convolutional NNs and also theproblem of degrading accuracy is resolved.

In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, aResNet50 NN may be adopted, and then modified/refined/enhanced so as tobe suitable for use as (or part of) AI module(s) 26 _(n), of networkserver 22 _(n), of system 10. A ResNet50 NN is a NN trained on more thana million images from the ImageNet database. By default, a ResNet50 NNis 50 layers deep and can classify images into 1000 object categories,such as keyboard, mouse, pencil, and many animals. As a result, theResNet50 NN has learned rich feature representations for a wide range ofimages. That NN has an image input size of 224-by-224 by default. Usingthat ResNet50 architecture, an AI module(s) 26 _(n) model can be createdto classify and verify intangible property assets 16 _(n)/data 12 _(n),such as, for example, trademarks, brand names, designs, company/businessnames, domain names and/or social media identifiers, etc. The AImodule(s) 26 _(n) could be configured/trained to classify a plurality ofimages of intangible property assets 16 _(n). To do this, the AImodule(s) 26 _(n) could be trained with a training set of data from datasources 14 _(n) that include the likes of Google, WordNet, Word SenseDisambiguation (WSD), etc.; that each contain images 12 _(n), etc.,depicting commonly recognised objects. The AI module(s) 26 _(n) could betrained to match matching objects in an image to other instances of thatobject in other images as well as match it to a corresponding word ordescription. The AI module(s) 26 _(n) could then be broken up into its50 layers. Each of the layers having a unique purpose to detect andextract unique image characteristics of the intangible property asset 16_(n)/data 12 _(n), including its words, logos, devices, shape, contours,features, etc., that are unique to each image 12 _(n) at a pixel level.To then hone in on the detection of a chosen image, a number of thelayers of the AI module(s) 26 _(n) could be modified and enhanced, inparticular the “Classify layer” which consolidates then categorises theprevious 49 layers from the ResNet50 model to uniquely identify anobject depicted in the image 12 _(n). After the initial training, the AImodule(s) 26 _(n) could be further refined and enhanced by providingfurther images 12 _(n) for recognition which would result in the AImodule(s) 26 _(n) correctly recognising images 12 _(n) and detectingthese as corresponding to various intangible property assets 16 _(n)(such as, for example, trademarks, brand names, etc.) with a high degreeof accuracy. Such an AI module(s) 26 _(n) should then be able to eithercorrectly identify whether a selected intangible property asset 16 _(n)already exists and/or is being in use by another trader(s), or whetherthe selected intangible property asset 16 _(n) is a new asset 16 _(n),that has not been in use and/or is not present on other data sources(such as, for example, IP Australia or social media websites 14 _(n)).To improve the accuracy of preferred AI module(s) 26 _(n), of preferredsystem 10, the word(s)/image(s) 12 _(n) that are used in thepreliminary/further experimental phases of thedevelopment/training/refining of the AI module(s) 26 _(n) would becarefully chosen so as to ensure that the AI Module(s) 26 _(n) couldreadily detect intangible property asset(s) 16 _(n), such as, forexample, trademarks, brand names, images, logos, colours, devices, etc.,both in natural and artificial light conditions, and at varying angles,positions, distances and pixel levels/quality, etc. In addition, so asto ensure that the AI module(s) 26 _(n) was not relying on anyintangible property asset 16 _(n) indicia foridentification/verification purposes, the training/test images 12 _(n)would be artificially stripped of any recognisable branding or otherindicia (e.g., associated ownership or product/business details, etc.).This should then result in the AI module(s) 26 _(n) only being able toidentify and verify intangible property asset(s) 16 _(n) based on theactual image, shape, colour, logo, device, etc (collectively, intangibleproperty asset data 12 _(n)). Further, it will be appreciated by askilled person that although ResNet50 NN could be used for preferred AImodule(s) 26 _(n), other resources, such as some pre-canned AWS, GoogleML models for generic image classification could also be used.

Ongoing training and refinement/enhancement of AI module(s) 26 _(n),using the same or similar processes/techniques as those outlined above,using an abundance of additional words/images 12 _(n) (and any otherrelated intangible property asset data 12 _(n), etc.), of the sameand/or all other required intangible property assets 16 _(n), wouldresult in a state of the art intangible property asset 16 _(n) searchand verification system 10 which includes at its core a novel AImodule(s) 26 _(n) which is able to use intangible property asset data 12_(n) obtained from users 20 _(n) (user 20 _(n) data sources 14 _(n)),and trusted and non-trusted third-party data sources or serviceproviders 14 _(n), along with various image recognitionprocesses/techniques and intelligence gained through deep machinelearning, to create a robust, reliable, easy to use single reference toaccurately establish the identity, history, ownership, and associatedinformation, etc., of intangible property assets 16 _(n) with a highdegree of accuracy and thus provide information regarding theavailability of intangible property asset 16 _(n) for future use,protection, etc.

In order to provide a more detailed understanding of the operation ofpreferred system 10 of the present invention, and its many variouspreferred intangible property asset 16 _(n) identification, verificationand/or information display purposes, reference will now be made to theflow diagram of FIG. 2 which illustrates a preferred embodiment of anintangible property asset 16 _(n) verification method 100 which issuitable for use with the preferred intangible property asset 16 _(n)verification system 10 shown in FIG. 1. The preferred flow diagram ofFIG. 2 (and hence, preferred intangible property asset 16 _(n)verification method 100 of the present invention) will be described inconjunction with the exemplary GUI's 34 _(n) shown in FIGS. 3a to 3c, 4a& 4 b, 5 a & 5 b, and FIG. 8, along with the exemplary report(s) 32 _(n)of FIGS. 6a to 6e , and block diagram of FIG. 7, each of whichillustrate (mostly in steps) the preferred ways in which system 10 maybe utilised by a user 20 _(n) to perform the many various preferredintangible property asset 16 _(n) search, identification, verificationand/or information display purposes described herein. Although apreferred intangible property asset 16 _(n) verification method 100 willbe described with reference to the flow diagram of FIG. 2, and theexemplary GUI's 34 _(n), report(s) 32 _(n), and block diagram of FIGS. 3a to 8, it is to be understood that these diagrams only illustrateexamples of the way in which intangible property asset data 12 _(n) maybe acquired, aggregated and analysed for intangible property asset 16_(n) verification purposes in accordance with the present invention.Many other methods (not shown) may be utilised to achieve the same orsimilar result and as such the present invention should not be construedas limited to the specific examples provided. Further, it will beappreciated by a skilled person that not all method steps are recitedherein, and/or that some method steps that are recited herein are notessential to the operation of method 100. Various steps that are notrecited, or which may be readily omitted or modified, will be readilyapparent to a skilled person and thus need not be described in detailherein. Similarly, although exemplary GUI's 34 _(n) are shown anddescribed with reference to FIGS. 3a to 5b , and FIG. 8, it will beappreciated that any suitable GUI(s) 341 may be used depending on theapplication of system 10, and the way in which GUI(s) 34 _(n) of system10 are accessible via, for example, network(s) 18 _(n), to user(s) 20_(n), via user operable devices 30 _(n). Further, the content ofexemplary GUI's 34 _(n) shown in FIGS. 3a to 5b , and FIG. 8, onlyrepresents an example of the type of information that may be displayedto user(s) 20 _(n) of system 10. Accordingly, the present inventionshould not be construed as being limited to any or more of the specificGUI 341 examples provided herein.

In FIG. 2 there is shown a flow diagram which illustrates a preferredembodiment of an intangible property asset 16 _(n) search andverification method 100 which is suitable for use with the preferredintangible property asset 16 _(n) verification system 10 shown inFIG. 1. As can be seen in this figure, the preferred method 100 maycommence at either step 102 or step 110, depending on whether or not auser 20 _(n) has previously performed steps 102 to 108, as will now bedescribed. Similarly, preferred method 100 may commence at step 110 if,for example, a user(s) 20 _(n) simply wishes to purchase/sell anintangible property asset 16 _(n), or to engage a Professional/ServiceProvider in accordance with the present invention. Assuming a user 20_(n) has not previously used method 100 (or does not simply wish to gostraight to the purchase/sell an intangible property asset 16 _(n)option, i.e. step 112, of preferred method 100, or does not simply wishto go straight to the engage a Professional/Service Provider option,i.e. step 120, of preferred method 100), at step 102 it can be seen thatmethod 100 preferably commences with a user(s) 20 _(n) using their useroperable device(s) 30 _(n) (and any necessary user interface(s), e.g.external camera, smart glasses, smart watch, etc. (not shown), ifrequired/desired) to enter, scan or otherwise capture initial intangibleproperty asset input data 12 _(n), e.g. a particular of an intangibleproperty asset's 16 _(n) information, such as a word from a trade mark,a logo from a trade mark, a hashtag from an Instagram or Twitter handle,an object from a brand, an image, etc. As was already briefly describedabove, the initial intangible property asset input data 12 _(n) may beacquired by a user(s) 20 _(n) simply accessing and selecting previouslycaptured image(s) 12 _(n) (still or moving) of the selected intangibleproperty asset 16 _(n) which may have been previously stored on theiruser operable device(s) 30 _(n), or which may be accessible to the useroperable device(s) 30 _(n) via network 18 _(n) (i.e. image(s) 12 _(n) ofthe selected intangible property asset 16 _(n) which may be readilyavailable via the Internet 18 _(n), etc.), or may be acquired inreal-time wherein a user(s) 20 _(n) may point or hover, etc., their useroperable device(s) 30 _(n) at/over the selected intangible propertyasset 16 _(n) (whether in person, in print, or on a screen, etc.) sothat the user operable device(s) 30 _(n) (using, e.g. an integral orcoupled camera, etc.) may capture the required intangible property assetinput data 12 _(n). It will be appreciated that at step 102, ofpreferred method 100, user operable device(s) 30 _(n) may utilise theone or more preferred user operable device 30 _(n) based module(s) orapplication(s) (not shown) described above with reference to (i), forcapturing, transmitting, receiving, conveying and/or displayingintangible property asset data 12 _(n) in accordance with preferredsystem 10. Thus, for example, the preferred OCR component/application,etc., of that preferred user operable device 30 _(n) basedmodule(s)/application(s) (i) may be utilised at step 102 to recognise,capture, convert and/or transmit intangible property asset 16 _(n)identifier(s)/marker(s)/image(s) 12 _(n) (not shown—but which may be,for example, the selected intangible property asset's 16 _(n)information, such as image, shape, colour, logo, device of a brand,etc.) in the form of the initial intangible property asset input data 12_(n). Exemplary GUI(s) 341 which illustrate a preferred way in whichstep 102, of preferred method 100, may be performed in real life areshown in FIGS. 3a & 3 b. In this example, the GUI(s) 341 (and associatedpreferred module(s)/application(s) (i) (not shown), etc.) is/areinstalled on a smartphone device 30 _(n) as shown, and the initialintangible property asset input data 12 _(n) is beingentered/scanned/captured by a user(s) 20 _(n) pointing the smartphone's30 _(n) integral camera(s) (not shown) at the selected intangibleproperty asset 16 _(n) (which may be the actual intangible propertyasset 16 _(n), or an image 12 _(n) thereof, etc.). In FIGS. 3a & 3 b, itcan be seen that preferred GUI(s) 34 _(n) may include a nominated regionor box 36 (along with user 20 _(n) instructions 38, etc.) which may bealigned with the selected intangible property asset's 16 _(n)identifier(s)/marker(s)/image(s) 12 _(n) (e.g. word, picture or a logo,12 _(n), etc.) such that OCR technology, etc., (of, for example,module(s)/application(s) (i) (not shown)) may then be used to recognisethe target text/image and/or capture theidentifier(s)/marker(s)/image(s) 12 _(n), which can then be used as therequired initial intangible property asset input data 12 _(n) inaccordance with step 102, of preferred method 100, of the presentinvention. Whilst any suitable OCR technology may be utilised inaccordance with step 102, of preferred method 100 (and preferredmodule(s)/application(s) (i) & (iii), etc., of system 10, as describedhereinbefore), it has been found that OCR technology created/provided bycompanies such as, for example, Anyline GmbH (an Austrian company) orSensor Dynamics Pty Ltd (an Australian proprietary limited company), isparticularly well suited for intangible property asset 16 _(n) purposesin accordance with the present invention.

After step 102, preferred method 100 continues at step 104, whereat theinitial intangible property asset input data 12 _(n) is utilised toretrieve further specific intangible property asset data 12 _(n) frompreferred third-party trusted and/or non-trusted data sources 14 _(n)and/or preferred database(s)/storage device(s) 28 _(n) (of networkserver 22 _(n)). That is, method 100 utilises the initial intangibleproperty asset input data 12 _(n) acquired at step 102, to then retrieveor acquire (at step 104) further specific intangible property asset data12 _(n) that matches, or is associated with, or relates to, the initialintangible property asset input data 12 _(n), and hence, the selectedintangible property asset 16 _(n) itself. Whilst not specifically shownin the flow diagram of FIG. 2, it will be appreciated that at step 104,preferred method 100 may utilise module(s)/application(s) (ii) (notshown—but as was described above in detail), of system 10, in order toretrieve and/or acquire the required further specific intangibleproperty asset data 12 _(n) (from preferred third-party trusted and/ornon-trusted data sources 14 _(n) and/or preferred database(s)/storagedevice(s) 28 _(n)).

Thereafter, at step 106, the user(s) 20 _(n) is/are prompted orotherwise to take/enter/capture/provide a plurality of words/images 12_(n) of the selected intangible property asset 16 _(n) (and particularsthereof, e.g. shape, colour, logo, etc.) at one or at different angles;including images 12 _(n) that contain the selected intangible propertyasset's 16 _(n) identifier(s)/images(s)/12 _(n) (e.g. ABN/ACN numbers,object shapes, colours, domain names, logos, devices, hashtags, Twitterand/or Instagram handles, etc.). Exemplary GUI(s) 341 which illustrate apreferred way in which step 106, of preferred method 100, may beperformed in real life are shown in FIG. 3c . Again, like in the case ofthe exemplary GUI(s) 34 _(n) shown in FIGS. 3a & 3 b, the exemplaryGUI(s) 34 _(n) (and associated preferred module(s)/application(s) (i)(not shown), etc.) of FIG. 3c is/are installed on a smartphone device 30_(n) as shown, and the images 12 _(n) of the intangible property asset16 _(n) are being captured by a user(s) 20 _(n) pointing thesmartphone's 301 integral camera(s) (not shown) at the selectedintangible property asset 16 _(n) (which may be the actual intangibleproperty asset 16 _(n), or a word or an image 12 _(n) thereof, etc.). InFIG. 3c , it can be seen that preferred GUI(s) 34 _(n) may include user20 _(n) instructions 38, etc., to prompt the user(s) 20 _(n) totake/capture the required images 12 _(n) at varying angles, and/or takeimages closer or further away from the object, and/or provide anyfurther identifiers 12 _(n) such as the colour of the object,information, etc., with the selected intangible property asset's 16 _(n)identifier(s)/marker(s)/image(s) 12 _(n) being visible in at least oneof those words/images 12 _(n). Although not specifically shown in theflow diagram of FIG. 2, at step 106, preferred method 100 may utiliseobject detection and/or OCR technology, etc. (of, for example,module(s)/application(s) (i) and/or (iii) (not shown) described above)for analysing and recognising particulars (including, but not limitedto: the shape/colour/image of an intangible property asset 16 _(n), itsfeatures, and/or its identifier(s)/marker(s)/image(s) 12 _(n), etc.) ofthe selected intangible property asset 16 _(n) shown in the images 12_(n) (whether they be live, stored, still or moving images 12 _(n),etc.) captured and/or otherwise acquired at this step. OCR technologysuitable for use at step 106, of preferred method 100 (and preferredmodule(s)/application(s) (i) & (iii), etc., of system 10, as describedhereinbefore), if required/desired, has already been outlined above.Whilst any suitable object detection technology/processes may beutilised in accordance with step 106, of preferred method 100 (andpreferred module(s)/application(s) (i) & (iii), etc., of system 10, asdescribed hereinbefore), if required/desired, it has been found thatobject detection technology provided by Tensorflow (created by Google,Inc.) is particularly well suited for intangible property asset 16 _(n)purposes in accordance with the present invention. Using the preferredTensorflow object detection framework, preferredmodule(s)/application(s) 26 _(n) (including preferred modules (i), (iii)and/or (iv) described above) of system 10, etc., are able to be trainedto detect the boundaries and details of a specific intangible propertyasset 16 _(n) shown in the captured/acquired words/images 12 _(n), whichin conjunction with OCR technology (such as the OCR technology describedhereinbefore), then enables the mechanical or electronic conversion ofthe words/images 12 _(n) which contain typed, handwritten and/or printedtext, into machine-encoded text which represents, for example, theselected intangible property asset's 16 _(n) particulars, such as aword, name, number, picture 12 _(n), etc.

After step 106, preferred method 100 continues at step 108, whereat theintangible property asset data 12 _(n) (including the plurality ofwords/images 12 _(n), etc.), for the selected intangible property asset16 _(n), acquired throughout steps 102 to 106, is aggregated and storedin, for example, database(s)/storage device(s) 28 _(n), of networkserver 22 _(n), of system 10. That acquired/aggregated/stored intangibleproperty asset data 12 _(n) is then analysed, assessed and used toretrieve/acquire any further necessary intangible property asset data 12_(n) from trusted (e.g. from IP Australia, ASIC, the PPSR, etc.) andnon-trusted (e.g. from Google, Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, Twitter,Whois Domain Lookup, etc.) third-party data sources 14 _(n), and/or fromdatabase(s)/storage device(s) 28 _(n), of network server 22 _(n), using,for example, preferred module(s)/application(s) (ii) to (iv) (notshown—but as were described in detail hereinbefore) of system 10. Whenall necessary intangible property asset data 12 _(n), for the selectedintangible property asset 16 _(n), has been acquired/captured, or as thenecessary intangible property asset data 12 _(n) is being continuallyobtained, or obtained as required (i.e. on demand, etc.), the preferredAI module(s) 26 _(n), of system 10, is/are preferably used at step 108in order to, for example: analyse and verify the intangible propertyasset data 12 _(n) (including acquired words/images 12 _(n)) and/or theselected intangible property asset 16 _(n) itself (and/or its associatedinformation, such as ownership, related goods and/or services, etc.,thereof); interpret any administrative nuances; and, filter out anyextraneous information/data 12 _(n) etc.; in order to collectively make‘human like’ predictions about whether or not the selected intangibleproperty asset 16 _(n) is available for use, registration and/orprotection in accordance with the present invention.

As can be seen in the flow diagram of FIG. 2, after steps 102 through to108 have been performed/completed, preferred method 100 of the presentinvention then enables a user(s) 20 _(n), at decision step 110, toselect one or more of a number of preferred intangible property asset 16_(n) identification, verification and/or information displayoptions/features that may be performed/utilised in accordance with thepresent invention. If at decision step 110, a user(s) 20 _(n) does notwish, or fails, to select an available option, then preferred method 100may simply end, as shown in FIG. 2, or may loop back or stall (notshown) as necessary awaiting a user(s) 20 _(n) command. Alternatively,at decision step 110, a user(s) 20 _(n) may opt to select from the oneor more preferred options/features as shown in FIG. 2. Those preferredoptions/features including, but not limited to: (step 112) sell/buy anintangible property asset 16 _(n); (step 114) conduct a live discoveryreview and explore a report(s) 32 _(n) using live or real-time discoveryof an intangible property asset 16 _(n) and/orfeatures/specifications/information, etc., thereof; (step 116) record ormanage an intangible property asset 16 _(n) security interest; (step118) proceed to register an intangible property asset 16 _(n) with agoverning body(ies), etc.; and/or, (step 120) engage an intellectualproperty industry professional or a service provider (such as a TradeMarks Attorney, a graphic designer, a photographer, or a marketingspecialist—not shown) to assist with further matters associated with aselected intangible property asset 16 _(n). Using the preferredreport(s) 32 _(n), an intellectual property industry professional or aservice provider (not shown) may then assist with filing and/orregistration or protection of an intangible property asset 16 _(n)—if itis a registrable/protectable intangible property asset 16 _(n), such as,for example, an intellectual property right or a domain name, etc. — ormay use the preferred report(s) 32 _(n) to, for example: assess thelikelihood of an infringement; use it as a basis for seeking consent tothe use of an intangible property asset 16 _(n); and/or, lodge anapplication for revocation of a trade mark for non-use, etc.Furthermore, the preferred report(s) 32 _(n) could also preferably beused as a basis for licensing and/or franchising opportunities, etc.Although specific intangible property asset 16 _(n) embodiments/options,etc., are shown and described herein with reference to FIGS. 2 to 8, itshould be appreciated that the present invention is not limited to thatuse, or those examples, only.

Exemplary GUI(s) 341 which illustrate a preferred way in which each ofthe preferred options/features (i.e., steps 112 to 120) of preferredmethod 100 may be accessed at decision step 110, are shown in FIGS. 4a &4 b. Again, like in the case of the exemplary GUI(s) 34 _(n) shown inFIGS. 3a to 3c , the exemplary GUI(s) 34 _(n) of FIGS. 4a & 4 b is/areinstalled on a smartphone device 30 _(n) as shown. In FIG. 4a , theGUI(s) 34 _(n) is in a preferred state (at decision step 110) after eachof steps 102 through to 108 have been completed. Here it can be seenthat aside from showing images/information 12 _(n) about the selectedintangible property asset 16 _(n), which may be toggled or scrolledthrough by way of navigation region 40, etc., exemplary GUI(s) 341 mayalso provide a number of preferred buttons or navigation region(s) 42_(n) (collectively referred to as “button(s) 42 _(n)”) which may enablevarious preferred features and/or screens of exemplary GUI(s) 341 to beaccessed/viewed, etc., as desired/required. For example, a series ofbutton(s) 42 _(n) may be provided along the bottom of GUI(s) 34 _(n), asshown, to enable a user(s) 20 _(n) to access and/or view, for example,various preferred trade mark related data and/or features 44 _(n), etc.,related to the selected intangible property asset 16 _(n) (wherein, inthe example of FIG. 4a , the intangible property asset 16 _(n) is atrade mark) and/or system 10, such as, for example: a forum/chat and/orAI robot help desk assistant 45; a button 46 which a user(s) 20 _(n) canselectively utilise to access an intangible property asset 16 _(n)status report page(s), for viewing or requesting intangible propertyasset data 12 _(n) reports 32 _(n) (such as, for example, a trade markstatus report, or validation reports 32 _(n), transactionreports/receipts 32 _(n), etc., as shown and described with reference tosystem 10, of FIG. 1); a related information page 47 concerningintangible property assets 16 _(n); and/or, a page or assistant 48 forenabling a user(s) 20 to, for example, selectively upload or otherwisecapture/store, selective intangible property asset 16 _(n) associatedinformation, such as history, notes, etc. 12 _(n) (in the case of atrade mark, this could be information relating to an assignment and/orparticulars of the goods/services, etc.). Also, preferably provided is aseparate button(s) 42 _(n) (for example, an ‘Explore Your Trade MarkNo.: 12345 button(s) 42 _(n) in the embodiment shown in FIG. 4a ) foraccessing the further preferred GUI(s) 34 _(n) screen shown in FIG. 4b ,which GUI(s) 34 _(n) screen provides/presents a user(s) 20 _(n) with aseries of navigation regions or button(s) 42 _(n) that the user(s) 20_(n) may opt to use to selectively access/utilise the preferredoptions/features (i.e. steps 112 to 120) of preferred method 100 of thepresent invention. Referring to FIG. 4b , it can be seen that exemplaryGUI(s) 34 _(n) preferably includes a separate region(s)/button(s) 42_(n) for accessing/utilising each of steps 112 to 120 (and theirassociated options/features, etc.) of preferred method 100 of thepresent invention. Finally, the exemplary GUI(s) 341 of both FIGS. 4aand 4b may also preferably provide user 20 _(n) instructions and/orintangible property asset 16 _(n) details, in the form of a dedicatedarea(s) of region(s) 38 of GUI(s) 34 _(n), as shown. Whist specificintangible property asset 16 _(n) information/data 12 _(n), andbutton(s) 42 _(n) and region(s) 38 (and associated features, etc., e.g.features 45 to 48, etc.) are shown and described herein as beingvisible/accessible/usable within the exemplary GUI(s) 34 _(n) of FIGS.4a & 4 b, it should be appreciated that the present invention is notlimited to the specific examples provided.

If a user(s) 20 _(n) opts to select the ‘sell/buy an intangible asset 16_(n)’ option, i.e. step 112, of preferred method 100 (using, e.g. theapplicable button(s) 42 _(n), i.e. “Sell Your Trade Mark” in thisembodiment, shown in the exemplary GUI(s) 34 _(n) of FIG. 4b ), thenmethod 100 continues at decision step 122, whereat a check is preferablymade (either automatically, or upon instruction from user(s) 20 _(n),etc.) to see whether the user(s) 20 _(n) has a user account with theapplicable intangible classifieds business, auctioneer, etc. (e.g.Gumtree, Facebook, Twitter, etc. — hereinafter, collectively referred toas “sales site(s)”)—i.e. whether the specific user(s) 20 _(n) isauthorised to list the selected intangible property asset 16 _(n) forsale via the chosen and/or predetermined sales site(s). If at decisionstep 122 it is determined that the user(s) 20 _(n) does have an accountwith the chosen and/or predetermined sales site(s), then method 100continues at step 124, whereat any available previously verified (e.g.at step 108, of preferred method 100, using, for example, AI module(s)26 _(n) of network server 22 _(n), of system 10) intangible propertyasset data 12 _(n) necessary for listing the selected intangibleproperty asset 16 _(n) for sale via that sales site(s) is automaticallypopulated/provided to that sales site(s). Alternatively, if at decisionstep 122 it is determined that the user(s) 20 _(n) does not have anaccount with the chosen and/or predetermined sales site(s), then method100 continues at step 126, whereat the user(s) 20 _(n) may be promptedto create a user account with the chosen and/or predetermined salessite(s), or method 100 may in itself automatically create the necessaryuser account on behalf of the user(s) 20 _(n) as shown. Thereafter,preferred method 100 continues as before at step 124, whereat anyavailable previously verified intangible property asset data 12 _(n)necessary for listing the selected intangible property asset 16 _(n) forsale via that sales site(s) is automatically populated/provided to thatsales site(s). Although not shown in the flow diagram of FIG. 2, ateither of steps 112 or 124, the preferred method 100 may prompt and/orotherwise enable a user(s) 20 _(n) to manually add some additionalpredetermined intangible property asset data 12 _(n), such as, forexample, the intangible property asset's 16 _(n) sale price, goods orservices traded 12 _(n), etc., to the sales site(s) listing for theselected intangible property asset 16 _(n). Method 100 then continues atdecision step 128, whereat if the user(s) 20 _(n) wishes to finish usingmethod 100, or fails to select an option, preferred method may simplyend, as shown in FIG. 2, or may loop back or stall (not shown) asnecessary awaiting a user(s) 20 _(n) command. Alternatively, at decisionstep 128 a user(s) 20 _(n) may elect (at step 130) to return to eitherthe start of method 100 (e.g. step 102, whereat the user 20 may chooseto capture, search, and verify, etc., intangible property asset data 12_(n) concerning a different intangible property asset 16 _(n)), or todecision step 110 of method 100, whereat user(s) 20 _(n) may choose toutilise any one of preferred options/features 112 to 120 as hereindescribed.

Exemplary GUI(s) 34 _(n) which illustrate an example of the sort ofintangible property asset data 12 _(n) that may be displayed/accessedto/by a user(s) 20 _(n) at the ‘sell/buy an intangible property asset 16_(n)’ option, i.e. step 112, of preferred method 100, are shown in FIGS.5a & 5 b. Again, like in the case of the exemplary GUI(s) 34 _(n) shownin FIGS. 3a to 4b , the exemplary GUI(s) 341 (and any associatedpreferred module(s)/application(s), such as, for example, module(s)(i)—not shown, but as was discussed in detail above) of FIGS. 5a and 5bis/are installed on a smartphone device 30 _(n) as shown. In FIG. 5a ,it can be seen that exemplary GUI(s) 34 _(n) may preferably show/provideone or more words/images 12 _(n) of the selected intangible propertyasset 16 _(n), along with any necessary instructions 38 or associateddata 12 _(n). Referring now to both FIGS. 5a & 5 b, it can be seen thatexemplary GUI(s) 34 _(n) may also preferably include one or morefield(s) or region(s) 50, such as, for example, a sale price field 50,as shown in both FIGS. 5a & 5 b, or trade mark classes or filing datefield(s) 50, as shown in FIG. 5b , which may either be automaticallypopulated by system 10 (i.e. based on, for example, an AI valuation ofthe selected intangible asset 16 _(n), or by being detected in one ormore image(s) 12 _(n) of the selected intangible property asset 16 _(n),etc.), or which may be populated by a user(s) 20 _(n), as desired (e.g.with or without the need to override any system 10 generated salesprice, and other particulars, 12 _(n) etc.). In FIG. 5b , it can be seenthat further pages/screens of exemplary GUI(s) 34 _(n) may alsopreferably be accessed/provided to user(s) 20 _(n) at or during step 112(and associated steps), of preferred method 100, of the presentinvention. As is shown in this figure, it is preferred that theintangible property asset data 12 _(n) displayed within those preferredGUI(s) 34 _(n) is able to be toggled or scrolled, etc., by way ofnavigation region(s) 40 or button(s) 42 _(n). Within the exemplaryGUI(s) 341 shown in FIG. 5b , it can be seen that various intangibleproperty asset data 12 _(n) for the selected intangible property asset16 _(n), including the filing date, ownership details, classes, andother particulars 12 _(n), etc., has been automatically populated onthose pages (which are preferably pages of one or more chosen and/orpredetermined sales site(s)) such that the selected intangible propertyasset 16 _(n) may be, or has been, listed for sale via the chosen and/orpredetermined sales site(s). In addition, and importantly, in theexemplary GUI(s) 34 _(n) of FIG. 5b , it is preferred that some form ofmarking(s), badge(s), shield(s), and/or indicia 52, etc., is clearlyshown or otherwise provided to indicate that at least the importantintangible property asset data 12 _(n) (including one or morewords/images 12 _(n) of the selected intangible property asset 16 _(n))displayed/presented within GUI(s) 34 _(n) has been searched, analysedand verified (at step 108, of preferred method 100) as being true andcorrect by way of AI module(s) 26 _(n), etc., of system 10.

Although not shown in the flow diagram of FIG. 2, or shown or describedwith reference to the exemplary GUI(s) 34 _(n) of FIGS. 5a and 5b , itwill be appreciated that various forms of intangible property asset data12 _(n) related report(s), receipt(s), etc. 32 _(n), such as, forexample, intangible property asset data 12 _(n) validation report(s) 32_(n), etc., as shown and described with reference to system 10, of FIG.1, may be requested and/or otherwise provided to user(s) 20 _(n) as partof the ‘sell/buy an intangible property asset 16 _(n)’ option, i.e. step112, and associated steps, of preferred method 100, of the presentinvention.

Accordingly, it should be appreciated that each of FIG. 2 and FIGS. 5aand 5b , clearly illustrate that preferred system 10 and/or method 100of the present invention, readily provides an automated process(es) forcapturing, analysing, verifying and/or displaying intangible propertyasset data 12 _(n) for the purpose of listing a selected intangibleproperty asset 16 _(n) for sale or purchase via one or more chosenand/or predetermined sales site(s), etc. Such an automated process(es)provides many benefits in terms of selling/buying an intangible propertyasset 16 _(n), including, but not limited to: business owner's (user(s)20 _(n)) having the ability to check the availability of a business namefor purchasing of intangible property asset(s) 16 _(n) and if available,can proceed to contact the owner of that asset 16 _(n). The advantagesof this method include provision of an established history of the asset16 _(n), etc.; specifications and related information of an intangibleproperty asset 16 _(n) can easily be provided/displayed to a buyerand/or business owner (user(s) 20 _(n)); peace of mind that theintangible property asset data 12 _(n) acquired from the seller (user 20_(n)) of an intangible property asset 161 has been validated andverified as true and correct, etc.; quick access to intangible propertyasset data 12 _(n); ‘click and view’ of related details, specificationsand information/data 12 _(n) concerning intangible property assets 16_(n); trust transparency between buyers (user(s) 20 _(n)) and sellers(user(s) 20 _(n)); display of intangible property asset data 12 _(n) toconsumers (and user(s) 20 _(n)) in a detailed and simplified format;verification of information/data 12 _(n) presented from relevantauthorities (i.e. trusted and non-trusted data sources 14 _(n)); and/or,ability to automatically obtain intangible property asset data 12 _(n)via a photo, video, etc. (i.e. images 12 _(n)), and from one or moreintangible property asset 16 _(n) identifier(s)/marker(s)/images(s) 12_(n) (e.g. business name, trade mark, logo, picture, etc.). Whilst suchan automated process(es) also overcomes known problems associated withthe sale of an intangible property asset 16 _(n), including, but notlimited to: multiple ways to obtain intangible property asset data 12_(n) from data sources 14 _(n) such as, for example, IP Australia, PPSR,ASIC, LinkedIn, Facebook, etc.; consumers (user(s) 20) needing to seekout intangible property asset information/data 12 _(n) from various datasources 14 _(n)—where the provided data 12 _(n) may not be accurate,etc.; difficulties associated with determining an intangible propertyasset's 16 _(n) availability, including part or whole trade markavailability and/or similarity to the existing trademarks, etc.; timeand money wasted in searching for intangible property asset data 12 _(n)for a specific intangible property asset 16 _(n); intangible propertyasset 16 _(n) owners (user(s) 20 _(n)) being unable to adequately orefficiently register their intangible property assets 16 _(n);intangible property asset data 12 _(n) entry and access problems and/orerrors; and/or, lack of (or difficulties associated with) integrationwith third-party data sources 141.

If a user(s) 20 opts to select the ‘live discovery review and explore ofreport 32 _(n)’ option, following step 110, of preferred method 100(using, e.g. the applicable ‘Live Discovery Review’ button(s) 42 _(n)shown in the exemplary GUI(s) 34 _(n) of FIG. 4b ), then method 100continues at step 114, whereat a user(s) 20 _(n) may selectively andinteractively explore, browse, research, review, etc., intangibleproperty asset data 12 _(n) associated with one or more retrievedintangible property assets 16 _(n) and/or their particulars, features,specifications, similar assets, etc., thereof, as will be described infurther detail below with reference to FIGS. 6a to 6e . After a user(s)20 _(n) is finished exploring, researching, etc., desired intangibleproperty asset data 12 _(n) associated with one or more selectedintangible property asset(s) 16 _(n), method 100 then continues atdecision step 128, as before described, whereat if the user(s) 20 _(n)wishes to finish using method 100, or fails to select an option, etc.,preferred method 100 may simply end, loop back, stall, etc., or mayreturn (at step 130) to either step 102 or decision step 110 of method100, as herein described, should the user(s) 20 _(n) wish to continueusing method 100.

FIGS. 6a to 6e illustrate examples of a preferred report(s) 32 _(n)which a user(s) 20 _(n) may explore, research, browse etc., forintangible property asset data/images/features, etc. 12 _(n), of aselected intangible property asset(s) 16 _(n) in accordance with the‘live discovery review and explore of report 32 _(n)’ of an intangibleproperty asset 16 _(n) option, i.e., step 114, of preferred method 100.In FIGS. 6a to 6e , a preferred embodiment of a report(s) 32 _(n)showing how a user(s) 20 _(n) may explore, research, etc., the features,etc. 12 _(n) of a selected intangible property asset 16 _(n) isillustrated, which in this embodiment, is preferably depicted on ascreen (not shown), etc., of a user operable device(s) 30 _(n), e.g., asmartphone 30 _(n). In this example, a user 20 _(n) has enquired aboutthe availability of an intangible property asset 16 _(n) in the form ofa brand name “BrandHub” in New Zealand and entered the word “BrandHub”at step 102 followed by entering letters “NZ” at step 106. As can beseen in FIGS. 6a to 6e , preferred method 100 has then produced areport(s) 32 _(n) showing the availability of the selected brand name(i.e., intangible property asset 16 _(n)) and associated informationfrom the following preferred platforms (i.e., third party data sources14 _(n)): Instagram, Facebook, IP Australia, ASIC, and, a domain nameregistry Whois search provider. In an alternative preferred embodiment(not shown), a user(s) 20 _(n) may explore, research, hover over andview two-dimensional and three-dimensional shapes, etc., the features,etc. 12 _(n) of a selected intangible property asset 16 _(n) using apreferred augmented reality environment which may be created inaccordance with system 10 and/or method 100 of the present invention.Whilst any suitable augmented reality technology/techniques may beutilised in accordance with step 114, of preferred method 100, of thepresent invention, it has been found that augmented reality technologyknown as Vuforia (developed by PTC, a United States corporation) isparticularly well suited for use with intangible property assets 16 _(n)in accordance with the present invention.

In embodiments shown in FIGS. 6a to 6e , it can be seen that at step114, of preferred method 100, the GUI(s) (and associatedmodule(s)/application(s) (i) (not shown)) are preferablyconfigured/designed to recognise (using object detection, OCR and AItechnology, etc., as hereinbefore described) the selected intangibleproperty asset 16 _(n) (whether a word(s)/image(s) 12 _(n) of theintangible property asset 16 _(n) and/or a live or real-time capture ofthe intangible property asset 16 _(n)) and to then overlay (orotherwise) that intangible property asset 16 _(n) with selectableregion(s), button(s), text and/or animations, etc. (collectivelyreferred to hereinafter as “informative object(s) 54 _(n)”) which canthen be viewed, selected, hovered-over, etc., by a user(s) 20 _(n), asdesired within report(s) 32 _(n), so as to enable the user(s) 20 _(n) toreadily explore, etc., and learn about the various features, etc. 12_(n), and associated intangible property asset 16 _(n). The explorationof a report(s) 32 _(n) may allow a user 20 _(n) (at step 127) to view anintangible property asset 16 _(n) and or its features 12 _(n), and/or toperform any, but not limited to the following, actions: to follow thebusiness/Instagram handle/Twitter handle/Pinterest handle, to contactthe owner for general information, to contact the owner forasset-specific information, such as for example to acquire, seekpermission, license, franchise the use of the intangible property asset16 _(n), and/or contact the business, to watch the intangible propertyasset 16 _(n) for status updates (for example if it is a Trade MarkApplication, or Instagram handle), to seek a valuation of the intangibleproperty asset 16 _(n), to view Trade Mark status reports, to viewcompany registration and associated details, etc.

Although not shown in the flow diagram of FIG. 2, or shown or describedwith reference to FIGS. 6a to 6e , it will be appreciated that variousforms of intangible property asset data 12 _(n) related report(s), etc.32 _(n), such as, for example, intangible property asset 16 _(n)validation reports 32 _(n), transaction reports/receipts 32 _(n), etc.,as shown and described with reference to system 10, of FIG. 1, may berequested and/or otherwise provided to user(s) 20 _(n) as part of the‘live discovery review and explore of report 32 _(n)’ option, i.e. step114, of preferred method 100, of the present invention.

Accordingly, it should be appreciated that each of FIG. 2 and FIGS. 6ato 6e , clearly illustrate that preferred system 10 and/or method 100 ofthe present invention, readily provides an automated process(es) whichmay be utilised by a user(s) 20 _(n) to selectively and interactivelyexplore, research, review, etc., intangible property asset data 12 _(n)concerning one or more selected intangible property assets 16 _(n)and/or its related information 12 _(n). Such an automated process(es)provides many benefits in terms of exploring or researching, etc., thefeatures, etc. 12 _(n) of an intangible property asset 16 _(n),including, but not limited to: easy one-place reference, quick access tointangible property asset data 12 _(n); ‘click and view’ of ownershipdetails and other associated information/data 12 _(n) concerningintangible property assets 16 _(n); utilisation of artificialintelligence and related technology (e.g. module(s)/application(s) (ii)to (iv) as described hereinbefore, including, importantly, AI module(s)26 _(n)) which collates/aggregates data 12 _(n) from various relevantauthorities 14 _(n) which are licenced to hold such information 12 _(n);display of intangible property asset data 12 _(n) to user(s) 20 _(n) ina detailed and simplified format; and/or, verification and providinginformation on the availability for use of an intangible property asset16 _(n) or data/information 12 _(n) prior to (or during)display/provision to a user(s) 20 _(n). Whilst such an automatedprocess(es) also overcomes known problems associated with the existingtechniques for exploring and/or researching, etc., intangible propertyasset data 12 _(n) or intangible property assets 16 _(n), including, butnot limited to: multiple ways to obtain intangible property asset data12 _(n) from data sources 14 _(n) such as, for example, IP Australia,PPSR, ASIC, Facebook, Twitter, etc.; consumers (user(s) 20 _(n)) needingto seek out intangible property asset information/data 12 _(n) fromvarious data sources 14 _(n)—where provided data 12 _(n) may not beaccurate, etc.; difficulties associated with determining an intangibleproperty asset's 16 _(n) similarity and/or availability, paying multiplefees for obtaining required information, etc.; time and money wasted insearching for intangible property asset data 12 _(n) for a specificintangible property asset 16 _(n); comparing results from multiplesources, making an assessment whether the proposed/searched forintangible property asset 16 _(n) is identical or similar to anintangible property asset 16 _(n) provided as a result of the search andverification method; intangible property asset data 12 _(n) entry andaccess problems and/or errors; and/or, lack of (or difficultiesassociated with) integration with third-party data sources 141.

If a user(s) 20 opts to select the ‘manage asset security interest’option, i.e. following step 110, of preferred method 100 (using, e.g.the applicable ‘Asset Security Interest’ button(s) 42 _(n) shown in theexemplary GUI(s) 34 _(n) of FIG. 4b ), then method 100 continues at step116, whereat a user(s) 20 _(n) may selectively record, modify, remove,etc., an intangible property asset 16 _(n) security interest, as will bedescribed in further detail below with reference to exemplary blockdiagram of FIG. 7. After a user(s) 20 _(n) is finished recording,modifying, removing, etc., a desired/required intangible property asset16 _(n) security interest, method 100 then continues at decision step128, as before described, whereat if the user(s) 20 _(n) wishes tofinish using method 100, or fails to select an option, etc., preferredmethod 100 may simply end, loop back, stall, etc., or may return (atstep 130) to either step 102 or decision step 110 of method 100, asherein described, should the user(s) 20 _(n) wish to continue usingmethod 100.

An exemplary block diagram which illustrates examples of the way inwhich various user(s) 20 _(n) may record, modify, remove, etc.,intangible property asset 16 _(n) security interest(s) in accordance the‘manage asset security interest’ option, i.e. step 116, of preferredmethod 100, is shown in FIG. 7. In this figure it can be seen that anyof a variety of parties (all collectively referred to as “user(s) 20_(n)”) that may be involved in an intangible property asset 16 _(n)security interest(s), such as, for example: intangible property asset 16_(n) owner(s) 20 _(n); finance providers 20 _(n) (e.g. banks, creditagencies, etc.); insurance companies 20 _(n); secured parties 20 _(n)(e.g. private lenders, etc.); and/or, surety bond providers or otherforms of guarantors, etc. 20 _(n); may selectively utilise the system 10and/or method 100 of the present invention, as required/desired, in torecord, modify, remove, etc., an intangible property asset 16 _(n)security interest(s) with the applicable trusted third-party serviceprovider(s) 14 _(n), such as, for example, the PPSR as shown, withoutthe need to interact directly with the/that third-party serviceprovider(s) 14 _(n). That is, network server 22 _(n), of system 10, isalso preferably configured to act as an intermediary between the variousparties (user(s) 20 _(n)) of an intangible property asset 16 _(n)security interest(s) and the appointed government agency(ies) or serviceprovider(s) 14 _(n) (which in the case of Australia, is the PPSR) thatare responsible for maintaining security interests or caveats concerningintangible property assets 16 _(n), etc. In this way, system 10 and/ormethod 100 of the present invention, including importantly its AImodule(s) 26 _(n), etc., provides a novel and important means of, forexample, preventing fraud, whilst automatically maintaining recordedsecurity interest(s) integrity, etc.

Additionally, and as can also be seen in FIG. 7, aside from readilyenabling the various concerned parties (user(s) 20 _(n)) themselves torecord, modify, remove, etc., any desired or necessary intangibleproperty asset 16 _(n) security interest(s), at step 116, of preferredmethod 100, system 10 may also preferably provide a service wherein it(i.e. the administrator(s) or provider(s) of system 10) acts as acustodian trustee (“system custodian trust 22 _(n)”), wherein the systemcustodian trustee 22 _(n) may register, modify, remove, etc., securityinterest(s) on behalf of, for example, the owner (user(s) 20 _(n)) of anintangible property asset(s) 16 _(n), or the finance provider or lender20 _(n), etc. Alternatively, another party (user(s) 20 _(n)), such as,for example, InfoTrack (an Australian company), may act as a custodiantrustee on behalf of system 10, and may register, modify, remove,intangible property asset 16 _(n) security interest(s) on behalf ofothers (including user(s) 20 _(n)). In both of these preferredembodiments, the administrator(s)/provider(s) of system 10 (not shown),or the other party (e.g., InfoTrack, etc.) 20 _(n), may hold anynecessary surety bond(s), guarantees, etc., as required in accordancewith typical security interest records.

Although not specifically shown in the flow diagram of FIG. 2, but ascan be seen in the exemplary block diagram of FIG. 7, and as is shownand described with reference to system 10, of FIG. 1, it will beappreciated that various forms of report(s), receipt(s), etc. 32 _(n),such as, for example, PPSR report(s) 32 _(n) and related transactionreceipt(s) 32 _(n), etc., may be requested and/or otherwise provided touser(s) 20 _(n) as part of the ‘manage asset security interest’ option,i.e. step 116, of preferred method 100, of the present invention.

Accordingly, it should be appreciated that each of FIGS. 2 & 7, clearlyillustrate that preferred system 10 and/or method 100 of the presentinvention, readily provides an automated process(es) which may beutilised by user(s) 20 _(n) to selectively record, modify, etc.,intangible property asset 16 _(n) security interest(s) asdesired/required. Such an automated process(es) provides many benefitsin terms of the recordal or modification, etc., of security interests,including, but not limited to: piece of mind for intangible propertyasset 16 _(n) owners (user(s) 20 _(n)); quick access to intangibleproperty asset data 12 _(n) associated with the security interest, etc.;utilisation of artificial intelligence and related technology (e.g.module(s)/application(s) (ii) to (iv) as described hereinbefore,including, importantly, AI module(s) 26 _(n)) which collates/aggregatesdata 12 _(n) from various relevant authorities 14 _(n) which arelicenced to hold such information 12 _(n); providing informationregarding any security interest on an intangible property asset 16 _(n)to a delegate of an Intellectual Property Office when there is a need torecord an assignment and/or change of ownership of an intellectualproperty asset 16 _(n); display of intangible property asset data 12_(n) to user(s) 20 _(n) in a detailed and simplified format;verification of the intangible property asset data/information 12 _(n)prior to (or during) security interest recordal, modification, etc.,and/or display/provision to a user(s) 20 _(n); and/or, provides a meansto prevent fraud and to automatically maintain recorded securityinterest(s) integrity, etc. Whilst such an automated process(es) alsoovercomes known problems associated with the existing techniques interms of the recordal or modification, etc., of security interests,including, but not limited to: time and money wasted in searching forintangible property asset data 12 _(n) for a specific intangibleproperty asset 16 _(n); intangible property asset data 12 _(n) entry andaccess problems and/or errors; and/or, lack of (or difficultiesassociated with) integration with third-party data sources 14 _(n).

If a user(s) 20 opts to select the ‘Proceed to Register the intangibleproperty asset” 16 _(n) option, i.e. following step 110, of preferredmethod 100 (using, e.g. the applicable button(s) 42 _(n), i.e. “Registera Domain Name” in the embodiment shown in the exemplary GUI(s) 34 _(n)of FIG. 4b ), then method 100 continues at step 118, whereat a user(s)20 _(n) may selectively opt for any of the following options, including,but not limited to the following: contact a corresponding governingauthority, such as IP Australia to file an application for a Trade Mark;file a Trade Mark Application directly with IP Australia; utilise IPAustralia's assisted trade mark filing service (known as their “TradeMark HeadStart” service); register a company or business name with ASICand/or other relevant authority; register a domain name; and/or,register an Instagram/Twitter/Pinterest handle; etc. After a user(s) 20_(n) is finished registering one or more selected intangible propertyasset(s) 16 _(n), etc., method 100 then continues at decision step 128,as before described, whereat if the user(s) 20 _(n) wishes to finishusing method 100, or fails to select an option, etc., preferred method100 may simply end, loop back, stall, etc., or may return (at step 130)to either step 102 or decision step 110 of method 100, as hereindescribed, should the user(s) 20 _(n) wish to continue using method 100.

If a user(s) 20 _(n) opts to select the ‘Engage a Professional/ServiceProvider” option, i.e. following step 110, of preferred method 100(using, e.g. the applicable “Contact Professional Service Provider’button(s) 42 _(n) shown in the exemplary GUI(s) 34 _(n) of FIG. 4b ),then method 100 continues at step 120, whereat a user(s) 20 _(n) may bedirected to the following options, including, but not limited: engage anintellectual property industry professional or a service provider (suchas a Trade Marks Attorney, a graphic designer, a photographer, or amarketing specialist—not shown) to assist with further mattersassociated with a selected intangible property asset 16 _(n). Using thepreferred report(s) 32 _(n), generated by system 10 and/or method 100 ofthe present invention, an intellectual property industry professional ora service provider (not shown) may then assist with filing and/orregistration or protection of an intangible property asset 16 _(n)—if itis a registrable\protectable intangible property asset 16 _(n), such as,for example, an intellectual property right or a domain name, etc. — ormay use the preferred report(s) 32 _(n) to, for example: assess thelikelihood of an infringement; use it as a basis for seeking consent tothe use of an intangible property asset 16 _(n); and/or, lodge anapplication for revocation of a trade mark for non-use, etc.Furthermore, these professionals or service providers may provideassistance with the following: the launch of a new brand, thepreparation of a new logo, creation and/or preparation of text and/orpictures for social media and/or catalogues, etc.

Although not specifically shown in the flow diagram of FIG. 2, but ascan be seen in FIG. 8, and as is shown and described with reference tosystem 10, of FIG. 1, it will be appreciated that various forms ofscreen(s)/page(s), report(s), receipt(s), etc. 32 _(n), may be requestedand/or otherwise provided to user(s) 20 _(n) as part of step 110 (orother steps), of preferred method 100, shown in FIG. 2. As can be seenin FIG. 8, that exemplary screen(s)/page(s)/report(s) 32 _(n), maycontain feature(s) 12 _(n) of the intangible property asset 16 _(n), andoptions 42 _(n) available to the user, that must be selected forproceeding with for example, accessing a summary report for theintangible property 16 _(n) for particulars and asset data 12 _(n)and/or selecting an option of personalising and/or producing anintangible property asset 16 _(n) (such as a brand, in this specificcase, where a name of the brand is # brandcreate), and/or if the user(s)20 _(n) is content with launching their brand, then they can select the‘launch’ option. This option would proceed to similar options as thosefor ‘Proceed to Register an intangible property asset’ 16 _(n) asdescribed above and would connect the user to authorities that enablethe registration (such as IP Australia, ASIC, Instagram, Twitter orother websites), etc.

Accordingly, it should be appreciated that each of FIG. 1 to FIG. 8,clearly illustrate that preferred system 10 and/or method 100 of thepresent invention, readily provides an automated process(es) which maybe utilised by a user(s) 20 to acquire information regarding intangibleproperty asset 16 _(n) and predict its availability for use, etc. Suchan automated process(es) provides many benefits in terms of predictingavailability of an intangible property asset 16 _(n), etc., including,but not limited to: quick access to intangible property asset data 12_(n); utilisation of artificial intelligence and related technology(e.g. module(s)/application(s) (ii) to (iv) as described hereinbefore,including, importantly, AI module(s) 26 _(n)) which collates/aggregatesdata 12 _(n) from various relevant authorities 14 _(n) which arelicenced to hold such information 12 _(n); display of intangibleproperty asset data 12 _(n) to user(s) 20 _(n) in a detailed andsimplified format; ability for industry personnel (user(s) 20 _(n)) toutilise the automated process(es) to assess at least the availability ofintangible property asset 16 _(n) for use, to build, personalise,protect and register intangible property assets 16 _(n); verification ofthe intangible property asset(s) 16 _(n) and/or data/information 12 _(n)prior to (or during) the registration/protection of same; and/or,integration with third-party parts suppliers or authorities enablingquick access to registration/protection and/or launching of anintangible property asset 16 _(n), etc. Whilst such an automatedprocess(es) also overcomes known problems associated with the existingtechniques/processes for acquiring/retrieving intangible property asset16 _(n) information, etc., including, but not limited to: laborious andtime consuming mostly manual processes which often lead to inaccurateinformation, etc.; intangible property asset data 12 _(n) entry andaccess problems and/or errors; lack of (or difficulties associated with)integration with third-party data sources 14 _(n); the need to know theavailability of a specific intangible property asset 16 _(n) and theneed to avoid infringement of other intangible property assets 16 _(n).

The present invention therefore provides a novel and useful assetverification system 10 and/or method 100 which is particularly wellsuited for acquiring, aggregating and analysing intangible propertyasset data 12 _(n) from multiple data sources 14 _(n) for variousintangible property asset 16 _(n) identification, verification and/orinformation display purposes. Many advantages of the present inventionwill be apparent from the detailed description of the preferredembodiments provided hereinbefore. Examples of those advantages include,but are not limited to: the provision of a robust, reliable and easy touse single reference for intangible property asset 16 _(n) information12 _(n) which can readily be used to verify the history, authenticity,etc., of intangible property assets 16 _(n) with a high degree ofaccuracy; the ability to differentiate between correct and incorrect (orfraudulent), as well as related and un-related data 12 _(n), interpretadministration nuances, filter out extraneous information/data 12 _(n)and/or make ‘human like’ predictions about the availability ofintangible property assets 16 _(n); the provision of an automated system10 which streamlines the entire process of collating intangible propertyasset data 12 _(n) (and any associated data/information) from multipledata sources 141, whilst eliminating arduous paperwork, multipledatabases/sources 14 _(n), manual input errors and lengthy wait times,etc.; and/or, the provision of an automated system 10 that enables auser(s) 20 _(n) to simply point/hover their user operable device(s) 30_(n) (with or without any accessories) at/over a selected intangibleproperty asset 16 _(n) and its identifier(s)/marker(s)/image(s) 12 _(n)(e.g. registration numbers, ABN/ACN numbers, domain name details, trademark details or brand name details, etc.), in order to capture/acquirenecessary intangible property asset data 12 _(n) (and images 12 _(n),etc.) which is/are then cross-checked against trusted intangibleproperty asset data 12 _(n) in order to verify particulars of theselected intangible property asset 16 _(n), including, for example, it'savailability, history, ownership, authenticity, likely value, etc.,which then results in the provision of AI verified and trustedinformation/data 12 _(n) about the selected intangible property asset 16_(n) being returned to the user(s) 20 _(n) in a simplified, butdetailed, format.

Whilst system 10 and/or method 100 may readily be provided directly touser(s) 20 _(n), as a stand-alone intangible property asset 16 _(n)verification system 10 and/or method 100 offering manyservices/features, such as, for example, those outlined above withreference to the preferred embodiments of the present invention, it islikely that system 10 and/or method 100 of the present invention will be(or will also be) provided as an API to a plurality of third-partyservice providers, such as, for example, Intellectual Property Offices,Trade Mark Attorneys, marketing professionals, etc., such that those,and any other suitable, third-party service provider(s) is/are able tooffer their user(s)/customer(s) 20 _(n) trusted verified intangibleproperty asset data 12 _(n) unlike any other system/service currentlyavailable in the local or global market.

While this invention has been described in connection with specificembodiments thereof, it will be understood that it is capable of furthermodification(s). The present invention is intended to cover anyvariations, uses or adaptations of the invention following in general,the principles of the invention and including such departures from thepresent disclosure as come within known or customary practice within theart to which the invention pertains and as may be applied to theessential features hereinbefore set forth.

As the present invention may be embodied in several forms withoutdeparting from the spirit of the essential characteristics of theinvention, it should be understood that the above-described embodimentsare not to limit the present invention unless otherwise specified, butrather should be construed broadly within the spirit and scope of theinvention as defined in the attached claims. Various modifications andequivalent arrangements are intended to be included within the spiritand scope of the invention. Therefore, the specific embodiments are tobe understood to be illustrative of the many ways in which theprinciples of the present invention may be practiced.

Where the terms “comprise”, “comprises”, “comprised” or “comprising” areused in this specification, they are to be interpreted as specifying thepresence of the stated features, integers, steps or components referredto, but not to preclude the presence or addition of one or more otherfeatures, integers, steps, components to be grouped therewith.

1. A method for acquiring, aggregating and analysing asset data frommultiple data sources for asset identification, verification and/orinformation display purposes, the method comprising the steps of:acquiring initial asset data for a selected asset from a first datasource, the initial asset data comprising at least one identifier forthe selected asset, and/or one or more word(s) and/or image(s) of theselected asset; utilising the initial asset data and/or the at least oneidentifier, to retrieve further predetermined asset data associated withthe selected asset from two or more further data sources; aggregatingand analysing the acquired/retrieved initial and further predeterminedasset data, whilst also optionally acquiring, aggregating and analysingany further necessary asset data associated with the selected asset fromthe first and/or two or more further data sources; and utilisingartificial intelligence or machine learning to cross-check or vet theacquired/retrieved asset data in order to verify particulars of theselected asset, wherein the cross-checked or vetted asset data may thenbe used for identification, verification and/or information displaypurposes related to the selected asset.
 2. The method as claimed inclaim 1, wherein the first data source is a user data source, andwherein the two of more further data sources comprise trusted andnon-trusted data sources.
 3. The method as claimed in claim 2, whereinthe initial asset data for the selected asset comprises at least the atleast one identifier, and wherein the initial asset data and/or thefurther necessary asset data comprises a plurality of images of theselected asset if the selected asset includes multiple dimensions,aspects or forms, and, wherein if the selected asset is amulti-dimensional object or thing, the plurality of images of theselected asset comprises a plurality of images of the selected asset atdiffering angles.
 4. The method as claimed in claim 3, wherein theselected asset is a selected intangible property asset, and wherein theat least one identifier for the selected intangible property asset is atleast one of: a word; a letter; a phrase; a number; an image (still ormoving); a picture; a logo; a sound; a shape; a two-dimensional shape; athree-dimensional shape; a scent; a movement; a movie/video; a colour; adesign; an aspect of packaging; a trade dress; a brand name; a trademark; a company/business/trade name; a plant variety name; and/or, acombination of any of these aforementioned asset identifiers; and/or, adomain name; a social media, internet or other communications networkidentifier including a handle or a tag; and/or, an intangible propertyasset particular(s).
 5. The method as claimed in claim 4, wherein thefurther predetermined asset data, and/or the further necessary assetdata, associated with the selected intangible property asset comprisesboth trusted and non-trusted intangible property asset data, obtainedfrom the two or more trusted and non-trusted data sources, and whereinthe trusted and non-trusted intangible property asset data for theselected intangible property asset may include, but is not limited to:government or otherwise officially recorded intangible property assetdata; intangible property asset ownership data; associated productand/or service intangible property asset data; and/or, generalintangible property asset data available from general data sourceproviders, including search engine and social media service providers.6. The method as claimed in claim 5, wherein the step of utilisingartificial intelligence or machine learning to cross-check or vet theacquired/retrieved intangible property asset data comprises the use ofan artificial intelligence algorithm or neural network in association,or combination with, at least object detection technology, in order toverify particulars of the selected intangible property asset.
 7. Themethod as claimed in claim 6, wherein the step of utilising artificialintelligence or machine learning to cross-check or vet theacquired/retrieved intangible property asset data, utilising theartificial intelligence algorithm or neural network in association, orcombination with, the at least object detection technology, in order toverify particulars of the selected intangible property asset, includescomparing and contrasting the acquired/retrieved intangible propertyasset data with the known reliable/trusted data sources in order todifferentiate between accurate or false, or fraudulent, intangibleproperty asset data, and/or authentic or non-authentic intangibleproperty assets, and/or related or non-related particulars thereof. 8.The method as claimed in claim 6, wherein the step of utilisingartificial intelligence or machine learning to cross-check or vet theacquired/retrieved intangible property asset data, utilising theartificial intelligence algorithm or neural network in association, orcombination with, the at least object detection technology, alsocomprises: interpreting any administrative nuances associated with theacquired/retrieved intangible property asset data; and/or, filtering outany extraneous information/data contained within the acquired/retrievedintangible property asset data.
 9. The method as claimed in claim 4,wherein the asset identification, verification and/or informationdisplay purposes comprises at least one of the following: selling orpurchasing a selected intangible property asset; exploring orresearching a selected intangible property asset, and/orfeatures/specifications thereof, including whether or not the selectedintangible property asset is available for use, registration and/orprotection; recording or modifying a selected intangible property assetsecurity interest; proceeding to register or protect a selectedintangible property asset; and/or, proceeding to engage a professionalor service provider to assist with further matters associated with aselected intangible property asset.
 10. A non-transitory computerreadable medium storing a set of instructions that, when executed by amachine, cause the machine to execute a method for acquiring,aggregating and analysing asset data from multiple data sources forasset identification, verification and/or information display purposes,the method comprises the steps of: acquiring initial asset data for aselected asset from a first data source, the initial asset datacomprising at least one identifier for the selected asset, and/or one ormore word(s) and/or image(s) of the selected asset; utilising theinitial asset data and/or the at least one identifier, to retrievefurther predetermined asset data associated with the selected asset fromtwo or more further data sources; aggregating and analysing theacquired/retrieved initial and further predetermined asset data, whilstalso optionally acquiring, aggregating and analysing any furthernecessary asset data associated with the selected asset from the firstand/or two or more further data sources; and utilising artificialintelligence or machine learning to cross-check or vet theacquired/retrieved asset data in order to verify particulars of theselected asset, wherein the cross-checked or vetted asset data may thenbe used for identification, verification and/or information displaypurposes related to the selected asset.
 11. A system for acquiring,aggregating and analysing asset data from multiple data sources forasset identification, verification and/or information display purposes,the system comprising: one or modules or applications for acquiringinitial asset data for a selected asset from a first data source, theinitial asset data comprising at least one identifier for the selectedasset, and/or one or more word(s) and/or image(s) of the selected asset;one or more modules of applications for utilising the initial asset dataand/or the at least one identifier, to retrieve further predeterminedasset data associated with the selected asset from two or more furtherdata sources; one or more modules or applications for aggregating andanalysing the acquired/retrieved initial and further predetermined assetdata, whilst also optionally acquiring, aggregating and analysing anyfurther necessary asset data associated with the selected asset from thefirst and/or two or more further data sources; and one or moreartificial intelligence or machine learning modules of applications forcross-checking or vetting the acquired/retrieved asset data in order toverify particulars of the selected asset, wherein the cross-checked orvetted asset data may then be used for identification, verificationand/or information display purposes related to the selected asset. 12.The method as claimed in claim 7, wherein the step of utilisingartificial intelligence or machine learning to cross-check or vet theacquired/retrieved intangible property asset data, utilising theartificial intelligence algorithm or neural network in association, orcombination with, the at least object detection technology, alsocomprises: interpreting any administrative nuances associated with theacquired/retrieved intangible property asset data; and/or, filtering outany extraneous information/data contained within the acquired/retrievedintangible property asset data.
 13. The method as claimed in claim 5,wherein the asset identification, verification and/or informationdisplay purposes comprises at least one of the following: selling orpurchasing a selected intangible property asset; exploring orresearching a selected intangible property asset, and/orfeatures/specifications thereof, including whether or not the selectedintangible property asset is available for use, registration and/orprotection; recording or modifying a selected intangible property assetsecurity interest; proceeding to register or protect a selectedintangible property asset; and/or, proceeding to engage a professionalor service provider to assist with further matters associated with aselected intangible property asset.
 14. The method as claimed in claim6, wherein the asset identification, verification and/or informationdisplay purposes comprises at least one of the following: selling orpurchasing a selected intangible property asset; exploring orresearching a selected intangible property asset, and/orfeatures/specifications thereof, including whether or not the selectedintangible property asset is available for use, registration and/orprotection; recording or modifying a selected intangible property assetsecurity interest; proceeding to register or protect a selectedintangible property asset; and/or, proceeding to engage a professionalor service provider to assist with further matters associated with aselected intangible property asset.
 15. The method as claimed in claim7, wherein the asset identification, verification and/or informationdisplay purposes comprises at least one of the following: selling orpurchasing a selected intangible property asset; exploring orresearching a selected intangible property asset, and/orfeatures/specifications thereof, including whether or not the selectedintangible property asset is available for use, registration and/orprotection; recording or modifying a selected intangible property assetsecurity interest; proceeding to register or protect a selectedintangible property asset; and/or, proceeding to engage a professionalor service provider to assist with further matters associated with aselected intangible property asset.
 16. The method as claimed in claim8, wherein the asset identification, verification and/or informationdisplay purposes comprises at least one of the following: selling orpurchasing a selected intangible property asset; exploring orresearching a selected intangible property asset, and/orfeatures/specifications thereof, including whether or not the selectedintangible property asset is available for use, registration and/orprotection; recording or modifying a selected intangible property assetsecurity interest; proceeding to register or protect a selectedintangible property asset; and/or, proceeding to engage a professionalor service provider to assist with further matters associated with aselected intangible property asset.